preface
/ˈpɹɛfəs/
"preface" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“preface” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,448. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #17,448
- frequency rank, English
- 4,417
- “P” headwords
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 8
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A beginning or introductory portion that comes before the main text of a document or book, typically serving to contextualize or explain the writing of the book and sometimes to acknowledge others'...
Corpus desk
Index EN-preface · preface · English
preface · rank #17,448 · 10 variants · 8 confusables
- FREQ-MID #17,448
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
- VAR-MID 10 variants
- BOOK-MID 4,417
- PHOTO-FINISH predatory
Nearest frequency peer: predatory (-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 “preface”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- playwright
playwright
82,556 corpus weight
- predatory
predatory
82,554 corpus weight
- preface
preface
82,553 corpus weight
- prescribe
prescribe
82,552 corpus weight
- punitive
punitive
82,551 corpus weight
- quits
quits
82,550 corpus weight
What this shows “preface” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | preface |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpɹɛfəs/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #17,448 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 8 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “preface”
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 10 spelling variants around preface (IPA /ˈpɹɛfəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,448 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for preface, with forms such as "perface", "ppreface", and "preafce". 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 also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "prepare", "prefect", "profane", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Late 14th century, from Middle English preface, prefas, from Old French preface (from which derives the modern French préface), from Medieval Latin prefātia, for classical Latin praefātiō (“a saying beforehand”), from praefor (“to speak beforehand”), from p… The correct English form is preface, spelled P-R-E-F-A-C-E.
Definition
- 1A beginning or introductory portion that comes before the main text of a document or book, typically serving to contextualize or explain the writing of the book and sometimes to acknowledge others' contributions; especially, such a discussion written by the work's own author.
- 2An introduction, or series of preliminary remarks.
- 3A variable prayer forming the prelude or introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer or canon of the Mass, following the Sursum corda dialogue and leading into the Sanctus.
- 4A title or epithet.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how preface appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Holonyms: front matter, prelims
The book included a brief preface explaining the author's motivations for writing.
Etymology
Late 14th century, from Middle English preface, prefas, from Old French preface (from which derives the modern French préface), from Medieval Latin prefātia, for classical Latin praefātiō (“a saying beforehand”), from praefor (“to speak beforehand”), from prae- (“beforehand”) + for (“to speak”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- perface
- ppreface
- preafce
- prefacce
- prefaec
- prefcae
- prefface
- prfeace
- prreface
- rpeface
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of preface - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "preface", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).