precedent

/ˈpɹɛs.ɪ.dənt/

//ˈpɹɛs.ɪ.dənt// noun

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

"precedent" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“precedent” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,939. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,939
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An act in the past which may be used as an example to help decide the outcome of similar instances in the future.

Corpus desk

Index EN-precedent · precedent · English

precedent · rank #9,939 · 14 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,939
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Pitt

Nearest frequency peer: Pitt (-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 “precedent”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “precedent” 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).

precedent vs president
78% similar
precedent vs preceding
78% similar
precedent vs precede
78% similar

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

Key facts for precedent
PropertyValue
Headwordprecedent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɹɛs.ɪ.dənt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#9,939
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “precedent”

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).precedentlands 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 “Pitt” (#9,938), “prevalent” (#9,940), “photoshop” (#9,937). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “precedent” is #9,939. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around precedent (IPA /ˈpɹɛs.ɪ.dənt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,939 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for precedent, with forms such as "percedent", "pprecedent", and "prceedent". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "president", "preceding", "precede", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French, from Old French, from Latin praecēdēns, present participle of praecēdere (“to precede”); See precede. The correct English form is precedent, spelled P-R-E-C-E-D-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act in the past which may be used as an example to help decide the outcome of similar instances in the future.
  2. 2
    A decided case which is cited or used as an example to justify a judgment in a subsequent case.
  3. 3
    An established habit or custom.
  4. 4
    The aforementioned (thing).
  5. 5
    The previous version.
  6. 6
    A rough draught of a writing which precedes a finished copy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Examples for cases can but direct as precedents only.
  2. A third argument may be derived from the precedent.

Etymology

From Middle French, from Old French, from Latin praecēdēns, present participle of praecēdere (“to precede”); See precede.

This word in other languages

precedente(Español)précédent(Français)Präzedenz(Deutsch)precedente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • percedent
  • pprecedent
  • prceedent
  • preccedent
  • precdeent
  • preceddent
  • precedennt
  • precedentt
  • precedetn
  • precednet
  • preceednt
  • preecdent
  • prrecedent
  • rpecedent

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of precedent - 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.

percedent2pprecedent1prceedent2preccedent1precdeent2preceddent1precedennt1precedentt1
Edit distance from "precedent"

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 "precedent"?
"precedent" is spelled P-R-E-C-E-D-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹɛs.ɪ.dənt/.
What does "precedent" mean?
As a noun, "precedent" means: An act in the past which may be used as an example to help decide the outcome of similar instances in the future.
What words are commonly confused with "precedent"?
"precedent" is commonly confused with "president", "preceding", "precede". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "precedent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "precedent" is /ˈpɹɛs.ɪ.dənt/. 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 "precedent"?
From Middle French, from Old French, from Latin praecēdēns, present participle of praecēdere (“to precede”); See precede. 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 "precedent", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

prevalent#9,940photoshop#9,937retaining#9,951neglected#9,919

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

Lancaster14 variantshierarchy14 variantsgreenhouse14 variantsvegetarian14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list