preceptor
/ˈpɹiˌsɛp.tɚ/noun
preceptor is spelled P-R-E-C-E-P-T-O-R: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 67,454th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, preceptor means “A teacher or tutor” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of preceptor is preceptors.
How many letters and syllables are in preceptor?
| Letters | 9: P-R-E-C-E-P-T-O-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 67,454th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is preceptor?
Preceptor appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 67,454th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce preceptor?
- UK /pɹɪˈsɛp.tə/
- US /ˈpɹiˌsɛp.tɚ/
- Australia /pɹɪˈsep.tə/
Preceptor has 3 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-preceptor.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with preceptor?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as preceptor (/isɛptəɹ/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: perceptor.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of preceptor
- preceptors plural
- præceptor
- præceptour
- preceptour
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does preceptor mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A teacher or tutor.
- 2
The head of a preceptory of Knights Templar.
- 3
USA doctor who gives practical training to medical students, nurses etc.
Near-synonyms: mentor, professor
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Preceptor in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Translations:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | preceptor, preceptora |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does preceptor come from?
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”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).