precaution

/pɹiːˈkɔːʃən/

//pɹiːˈkɔːʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“precaution” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,214. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,214
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Previous caution or care; caution previously employed to prevent misfortune or to secure good.

Corpus desk

Index EN-precaution · precaution · English

precaution · rank #17,214 · 15 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,214
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH practising

Nearest frequency peer: practising (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “precaution”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “precaution” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

precaution vs predation
80% similar
precaution vs precautions
91% similar

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

Key facts for precaution
PropertyValue
Headwordprecaution
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹiːˈkɔːʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#17,214
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “precaution”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).precautionlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “practising” (#17,213), “principally” (#17,215), “posh” (#17,212). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “precaution” is #17,214. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around precaution (IPA /pɹiːˈkɔːʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,214 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for precaution, with forms such as "percaution", "pprecaution", and "prceaution". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "predation", "precautions", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French précaution, Latin praecautio, from praecavere, praecautum (“to guard against beforehand”); prae (“before”) + cavere (“be on one's guard”). See pre-, and caution. The correct English form is precaution, spelled P-R-E-C-A-U-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Previous caution or care; caution previously employed to prevent misfortune or to secure good.
  2. 2
    A measure taken beforehand to ward off evil or secure good or success; a precautionary act.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how precaution appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. his life was saved by precaution
  2. July 2, 1826, John Henry Newman, The Philosophical Temper, First Enjoined by the Gospel The ancient philosophers treasured up their supposed discoveries with miserable precaution.

Etymology

From French précaution, Latin praecautio, from praecavere, praecautum (“to guard against beforehand”); prae (“before”) + cavere (“be on one's guard”). See pre-, and caution.

Synonyms

forecaution

This word in other languages

precaución(Español)précaution(Français)Vorsorge(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • percaution
  • pprecaution
  • prceaution
  • preacution
  • precatuion
  • precauiton
  • precausion
  • precautino
  • precautionn
  • precautoin
  • precauttion
  • preccaution
  • precuation
  • prrecaution
  • rpecaution

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of precaution - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

percaution2pprecaution1prceaution2preacution2precatuion2precauiton2precausion1precautino2
Edit distance from "precaution"

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 "precaution"?
"precaution" is spelled P-R-E-C-A-U-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹiːˈkɔːʃən/.
What does "precaution" mean?
As a noun, "precaution" means: Previous caution or care; caution previously employed to prevent misfortune or to secure good.
What words are commonly confused with "precaution"?
"precaution" is commonly confused with "predation", "precautions". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "precaution"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "precaution" is /pɹiːˈkɔːʃən/. 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 "precaution"?
From French précaution, Latin praecautio, from praecavere, praecautum (“to guard against beforehand”); prae (“before”) + cavere (“be on one's guard”). See pre-, and caution. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "precaution", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

practising#17,213reassuring#17,220scattering#17,235skepticism#17,244

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

startling15 variantsturnaround15 variantsdentistry15 variantsarithmetic15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list