precursor

/pɹɪˈkɜː.sə/

//pɹɪˈkɜː.sə// noun

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

"precursor" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“precursor” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,308. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,308
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - That which precurses: a forerunner, predecessor, or indicator of approaching events.

Corpus desk

Index EN-precursor · precursor · English

precursor · rank #16,308 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,308
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH powerhouse

Nearest frequency peer: powerhouse (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “precursor”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “precursor” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for precursor
PropertyValue
Headwordprecursor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹɪˈkɜː.sə/
Letters9
Frequency rank#16,308
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “precursor”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “powerhouse” (#16,307), “preferable” (#16,309), “POW” (#16,306). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “precursor” is #16,308. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around precursor (IPA /pɹɪˈkɜː.sə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #16,308 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for precursor, with forms such as "percursor", "pprecursor", and "prceursor". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English precursour, from Middle French precurseur or its etymon Latin praecursor (“forerunner”). By surface analysis, precurse + -or. The correct English form is precursor, spelled P-R-E-C-U-R-S-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    That which precurses: a forerunner, predecessor, or indicator of approaching events.
  2. 2
    One of the compounds that participates in the chemical reaction that produces another compound.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis:[…]. The evolutionary precursor of photosynthesis is still under debate, and a new study sheds light. The critical component of the photosynthetic system is the “water-oxidizing complex”, made up of manganese atoms and a calcium atom.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English precursour, from Middle French precurseur or its etymon Latin praecursor (“forerunner”). By surface analysis, precurse + -or.

Synonyms

antecedentbeforemathforemathprecedentprecursorprogenitor

Antonyms

aftermathconsecutionderivativefollowersequel

This word in other languages

precursor(Español)précurseur(Français)Vorläufer(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • percursor
  • pprecursor
  • prceursor
  • preccursor
  • precrusor
  • precurosr
  • precurrsor
  • precursorr
  • precursro
  • precurssor
  • precusror
  • preucrsor
  • prrecursor
  • rpecursor

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

percursor2pprecursor1prceursor2preccursor1precrusor2precurosr2precurrsor1precursorr1
Edit distance from "precursor"

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 "precursor"?
"precursor" is spelled P-R-E-C-U-R-S-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹɪˈkɜː.sə/.
What does "precursor" mean?
As a noun, "precursor" means: That which precurses: a forerunner, predecessor, or indicator of approaching events.
What are common misspellings of "precursor"?
Common misspellings include "percursor", "pprecursor", "prceursor", "preccursor", "precrusor". The correct spelling is "precursor".
How do you pronounce "precursor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "precursor" is /pɹɪˈkɜː.sə/. 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 "precursor"?
Inherited from Middle English precursour, from Middle French precurseur or its etymon Latin praecursor (“forerunner”). By surface analysis, precurse + -or. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "precursor", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

purposely#16,316paralyzed#16,294repayment#16,325Nicholson#16,285

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

powerhouse14 variantsoccupations14 variantsservicing14 variantstimetable14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list