preemption

/priːˈɛmpʃən/

//priːˈɛmpʃən// noun

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

"preemption" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“preemption” is uncommon English (frequency #64,628 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,628
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An act or process that preempts; a preventive or forestalling action; as:

Corpus desk

Index EN-preemption · preemption · English

preemption · rank #64,628 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #64,628
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH preeclampsia

Nearest frequency peer: preeclampsia (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “preemption”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “preemption” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for preemption
PropertyValue
Headwordpreemption
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/priːˈɛmpʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#64,628
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “preemption” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).preemptionfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “preeclampsia” (#64,627), “preamp” (#64,626), “Priam” (#64,630). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “preemption” is #64,628. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

preemption is uncommon English at frequency #64,628 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /priːˈɛmpʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

preemption has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Medieval Latin praeēmptiō (“previous purchase”), from praeemō (“buy before”), from Latin prae- (“before”) + emō (“buy”). The correct English form is preemption, spelled P-R-E-E-M-P-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act or process that preempts; a preventive or forestalling action; as:
  2. 2
    An act or process that preempts; a preventive or forestalling action; as:
  3. 3
    An act or process that preempts; a preventive or forestalling action; as:
  4. 4
    An act or process that preempts; a preventive or forestalling action; as:

Etymology

From Medieval Latin praeēmptiō (“previous purchase”), from praeemō (“buy before”), from Latin prae- (“before”) + emō (“buy”).

This word in other languages

preempción(Español)préemption(Français)Vorkauf(Deutsch)

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 "preemption"?
"preemption" is spelled P-R-E-E-M-P-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /priːˈɛmpʃən/.
What does "preemption" mean?
As a noun, "preemption" means: An act or process that preempts; a preventive or forestalling action; as:
How do you pronounce "preemption"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "preemption" is /priːˈɛmpʃən/. 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 "preemption"?
From Medieval Latin praeēmptiō (“previous purchase”), from praeemō (“buy before”), from Latin prae- (“before”) + emō (“buy”). 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 "preemption", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

quesadilla#64,644Oglethorpe#64,586obediently#64,583neurotoxin#64,566

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list