precious

/ˈpɹɛʃ.əs/

//ˈpɹɛʃ.əs// adj

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

"precious" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“precious” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,104 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#4,104
frequency rank, English
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of high value or worth.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

precious vs previous
88% similar
precious vs precocious
80% similar
precious vs precarious
80% similar

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

Key facts for precious
PropertyValue
Headwordprecious
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈpɹɛʃ.əs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#4,104
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “precious” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). precious lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for precious is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɹɛʃ.əs/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,104 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for precious, with forms such as "percious", "pprecious", and "prceious". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "previous", "precocious", "precarious", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English precious, borrowed from Old French precios (“valuable, costly, precious, beloved, also affected, finical”), from Latin pretiōsus (“of great value, costly, dear, precious”), from pretium (“value, price”); see price. The correct English form is precious, spelled P-R-E-C-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of high value or worth.
  2. 2
    Regarded with love or tenderness.
  3. 3
    Treated with too much reverence.
  4. 4
    Excessively complicated.
  5. 5
    Extremely protective or strict (about something).
  6. 6
    Blasted; damned.
  7. 7
    Contrived to be cute or charming.
  8. 8
    Thorough; utter.

Etymology

From Middle English precious, borrowed from Old French precios (“valuable, costly, precious, beloved, also affected, finical”), from Latin pretiōsus (“of great value, costly, dear, precious”), from pretium (“value, price”); see price.

Synonyms

dearvaluablesaccharinesyrupytwee

This word in other languages

precioso(Español)précieux(Français)kostbar(Deutsch)precioso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: percious,pprecious,prceious,preccious,preciosu,preciouss,preciuos,precoius,preicous,prrecious,rpecious

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

percious2pprecious1prceious2preccious1preciosu2preciouss1preciuos2precoius2
Edit distance from "precious"

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 "precious"?
"precious" is spelled P-R-E-C-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹɛʃ.əs/.
What does "precious" mean?
As an adjective, "precious" means: Of high value or worth.
What words are commonly confused with "precious"?
"precious" is commonly confused with "previous", "precocious", "precarious". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "precious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "precious" is /ˈpɹɛʃ.əs/. 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 "precious"?
From Middle English precious, borrowed from Old French precios (“valuable, costly, precious, beloved, also affected, finical”), from Latin pretiōsus (“of great value, costly, dear, precious”), from pretium (“value, price”); see price. 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.

Using “precious”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-R-E-C-I-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpɹɛʃ.əs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “previous” - see the side-by-side comparison. precious vs previous
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list