précis

/ˈpɹeɪsi/

//ˈpɹeɪsi// noun

"precis" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“précis” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A summary or brief: a concise or abridged statement or view.

Corpus desk

Index EN-precis · précis · English

précis · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for précis
PropertyValue
Headwordprécis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɹeɪsi/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “précis” in English

précisfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

précis is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɹeɪsi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A summary or brief: a concise or abridged statement or view.".

précis has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French précis (“summary”), from a substantive use of its adjectival sense "precise". Doublet of precise. The correct English form is précis, spelled P-R-É-C-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A summary or brief: a concise or abridged statement or view.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I know she goes in for giving a rapid precis of all her guests.
  2. the computer is functioning, lights on it softly blinking as it produces on the screen beside it a series of graphs — ten years' worth of annual reports, a précis of Data General Corporation's financial history.

Etymology

Borrowed from French précis (“summary”), from a substantive use of its adjectival sense "precise". Doublet of precise.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "précis"?
"précis" is spelled P-R-É-C-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹeɪsi/.
What does "précis" mean?
As a noun, "précis" means: A summary or brief: a concise or abridged statement or view.
How do you pronounce "précis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "précis" is /ˈpɹeɪsi/. 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 "précis"?
Borrowed from French précis (“summary”), from a substantive use of its adjectival sense "precise". Doublet of precise. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list