precondition
/ˈpɹikənˌdɪʃən/noun, verb
precondition is spelled P-R-E-C-O-N-D-I-T-I-O-N: 12 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,363rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, precondition means “A condition that requires satisfaction before taking a course of action” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of precondition is preconditions.
How many letters and syllables are in precondition?
| Letters | 12: P-R-E-C-O-N-D-I-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 45,363rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is precondition?
Precondition appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,363rd 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 precondition?
- UK /ˈpɹiːkənˌdɪʃən/
- US /ˈpɹikənˌdɪʃən/
- Australia /ˈpɹiːkənˌdɪʃən/
As a verb (“To condition in advance”): /ˌpɹiːkənˈdɪʃən/, /ˌpɹikənˈdɪʃən/, /ˌpɹiːkənˈdɪʃən/.
Precondition has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-VCcortex-precondition.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with precondition
Also written: pre-condition (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of precondition
- preconditions plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- pre-condition
- preconditioning participle, present
- preconditioned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does precondition mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A condition that requires satisfaction before taking a course of action.
A marriage licence is a precondition for a wedding.
- 2
A medical illness, ailment, or adverse condition that exists before an insurance policy takes effect.
verb
- 1
To condition in advance
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Precondition in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense preexisting requirement:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | condition préalable, précondition |
| German | Vorbedingung, Voraussetzung |
| Portuguese | pré-condição, pré-requisito, prerrequisito |
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 precondition come from?
From pre- + condition.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).