English Word Reference Free

precision

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

9 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

open dictionary

Access

Free

no sign-up needed

Detailed reference entry for the English word "precision", 9-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "precision" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "precision" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

precision is aEnglishnoun. It means: The state of being precise or exact; especially, both exact and accurate. Pronounced /pɹɪˈsɪʒ.ən/. It ranks #7,042 in English word frequency. Often confused with provision.

Key facts for precision
PropertyValue
Headwordprecision
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹɪˈsɪʒ.ən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#7,042
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of precision in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for precision is 9 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pɹɪˈsɪʒ.ən/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,042 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text.Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 14 documented wrong-spelling variants for precision, with forms such as "percision", "pprecision", and "prceision". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "provision", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French precision. Equivalent to precise + -ion. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is precision, spelled P-R-E-C-I-S-I-O-N, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being precise or exact; especially, both exact and accurate.
  2. 2
    The ability of a measurement to be reproduced consistently.
  3. 3
    The number of significant digits to which a value may be measured reliably.
  4. 4
    A bidding system that makes use of many artificial bids to describe a hand quite precisely.

Etymology

From Middle French precision. Equivalent to precise + -ion.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: percision,pprecision,prceision,preccision,preciison,precisino,precisionn,precisoin,precission,precition,precsiion,preicsion,prrecision,rpecision

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for precision

Misspelling Variants of "precision"

percision9pprecision10prceision9preccision10preciison9precisino9precisionn10precisoin9
Misspelling Variants of "precision"

Frequency rank: #7,042 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "precision"?
"precision" is spelled P-R-E-C-I-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹɪˈsɪʒ.ən/.
What does "precision" mean?
As a noun, "precision" means: The state of being precise or exact; especially, both exact and accurate.
What words are commonly confused with "precision"?
"precision" is commonly confused with "provision". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "precision"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "precision" is /pɹɪˈsɪʒ.ən/. 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 "precision"?
From Middle French precision. Equivalent to precise + -ion. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter P in our English index:

Explore PlainSpell

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.