precinct
/ˈpɹisɪŋkt/
"precinct" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“precinct” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #12,835 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #12,835
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An enclosed space having defined limits, normally marked by walls.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | precinct |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpɹisɪŋkt/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #12,835 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “precinct” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for precinct is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɹisɪŋkt/. Corpus data places it at rank #12,835 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for precinct, with forms such as "percinct", "pprecinct", and "prceinct". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "predict", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English precinct, precincte, early 15th century, in sense of “district for government purposes”, from Medieval Latin precinctum, alternative form of praecinctum (“enclosure, boundary line”), neuter singular of praecinctus, perfect passive partic… The correct English form is precinct, spelled P-R-E-C-I-N-C-T.
Definition
- 1An enclosed space having defined limits, normally marked by walls.
- 2The general area surrounding a place, environs.
- 3A pedestrianized and uncovered shopping area.
- 4A subdivision of a city under the jurisdiction of a specific group of police; the police station situated in that district.
- 5A subdivision of a city or other locality for the purposes of voting and representation in local government. In cities, precincts may be grouped into wards.
- 6A district over which someone or some body of people has control in general; province, sphere of control.
- 7A surrounding boundary or limit.
Etymology
From Middle English precinct, precincte, early 15th century, in sense of “district for government purposes”, from Medieval Latin precinctum, alternative form of praecinctum (“enclosure, boundary line”), neuter singular of praecinctus, perfect passive participle of Latin praecingō (“surround, gird”), from prae (“before”) + cingō (“surround, encircle”), from which also cinch. Cognate to Italian precingere (“to encircle”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: percinct,pprecinct,prceinct,preccinct,precicnt,precincct,precinctt,precinnct,precintc,precnict,preicnct,prrecinct,rpecinct
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of precinct - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “precinct”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-R-E-C-I-N-C-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpɹisɪŋkt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “predict” - see the side-by-side comparison. precinct vs predict
- 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.