preceptor

/pɹɪˈsɛp.tə/

//pɹɪˈsɛp.tə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“preceptor” is uncommon English (frequency #67,746 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,746
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A teacher or tutor.

Corpus desk

Index EN-preceptor · preceptor · English

preceptor · rank #67,746 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #67,746
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH practicum

Nearest frequency peer: practicum (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “preceptor”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “preceptor” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for preceptor
PropertyValue
Headwordpreceptor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹɪˈsɛp.tə/
Letters9
Frequency rank#67,746
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “preceptor” in English

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).preceptorfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “practicum” (#67,745), “postsynaptic” (#67,743), “pressurization” (#67,749). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “preceptor” is #67,746. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

preceptor is uncommon English at frequency #67,746 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /pɹɪˈsɛp.tə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for preceptor, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English preceptor, preceptur, from Latin praeceptor (“commander; instructor”), from the verb praecipiō + -or (“-er: forming agent nouns”), from prae- (“pre-, fore-: before”) + capiō (“to take; to get, to take in, to understand”). The correct English form is preceptor, spelled P-R-E-C-E-P-T-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A teacher or tutor.
  2. 2
    The head of a preceptory of Knights Templar.
  3. 3
    A doctor who gives practical training to medical students, nurses etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A man who had thought so much on the subjects of language and education was surely no ordinary preceptor.
  2. We shall resume our studies later on; but just now I am tired of playing the preceptor; and the eager thirst of my pupils for improvement does not console me for the slowness of their progress.

Etymology

From Middle English preceptor, preceptur, from Latin praeceptor (“commander; instructor”), from the verb praecipiō + -or (“-er: forming agent nouns”), from prae- (“pre-, fore-: before”) + capiō (“to take; to get, to take in, to understand”).

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 "preceptor"?
"preceptor" is spelled P-R-E-C-E-P-T-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹɪˈsɛp.tə/.
What does "preceptor" mean?
As a noun, "preceptor" means: A teacher or tutor.
How do you pronounce "preceptor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "preceptor" is /pɹɪˈsɛp.tə/. 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 "preceptor"?
From Middle English preceptor, preceptur, from Latin praeceptor (“commander; instructor”), from the verb praecipiō + -or (“-er: forming agent nouns”), from prae- (“pre-, fore-: before”) + capiō (“to take; to get, to take in, to understand”). 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 "preceptor", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

practicum#67,745redaction#67,782outrigger#67,709refectory#67,787

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list