precarious

/pɹɪˈkɛəɹi.əs/

//pɹɪˈkɛəɹi.əs// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"precarious" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“precarious” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #20,463 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#20,463
frequency rank, English
10
letters
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

precarious vs precious
80% similar
precarious vs precocious
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for precarious
PropertyValue
Headwordprecarious
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/pɹɪˈkɛəɹi.əs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#20,463
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “precarious” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). precarious lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for precarious is 10 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pɹɪˈkɛəɹi.əs/. Corpus data places it at rank #20,463 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for precarious, with forms such as "percarious", "pprecarious", and "prcearious". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "precious", "precocious", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin precārius (“begged for, obtained by entreaty”), from prex, precis (“prayer”). Compare French précaire, Portuguese precário, and Spanish and Italian precario. The correct English form is precarious, spelled P-R-E-C-A-R-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous.
  2. 2
    Depending on the intention of another.

Etymology

From Latin precārius (“begged for, obtained by entreaty”), from prex, precis (“prayer”). Compare French précaire, Portuguese precário, and Spanish and Italian precario.

This word in other languages

precario(Español)précaire(Français)heikel(Deutsch)precário(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: percarious,pprecarious,prcearious,preacrious,precairous,precariosu,precariouss,precariuos,precaroius,precarrious,preccarious,precraious,prrecarious,rpecarious

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of precarious - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

percarious2pprecarious1prcearious2preacrious2precairous2precariosu2precariouss1precariuos2
Edit distance from "precarious"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "precarious"?
"precarious" is spelled P-R-E-C-A-R-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹɪˈkɛəɹi.əs/.
What does "precarious" mean?
As an adjective, "precarious" means: Dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous.
What words are commonly confused with "precarious"?
"precarious" is commonly confused with "precious", "precocious". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "precarious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "precarious" is /pɹɪˈkɛəɹi.əs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "precarious"?
From Latin precārius (“begged for, obtained by entreaty”), from prex, precis (“prayer”). Compare French précaire, Portuguese precário, and Spanish and Italian precario. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “precarious”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-R-E-C-A-R-I-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /pɹɪˈkɛəɹi.əs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “precious” - see the side-by-side comparison. precarious vs precious
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list