prefect
/ˈpɹiːfɛkt/noun
prefect is spelled P-R-E-F-E-C-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 25,751st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, prefect means “An official of Ancient Rome who controlled or superintended a particular command, charge, department, etc” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of prefect is prefects.
How many letters and syllables are in prefect?
| Letters | 7: P-R-E-F-E-C-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 25,751st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is prefect?
Prefect appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 25,751st 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 prefect?
- /ˈpɹiːfɛkt/
Prefect has 2 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)-Vealhurl-prefect.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with prefect
Also written: pre.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with prefect?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as prefect.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: perfect.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of prefect
- prefects plural
- præfect
- praefect
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does prefect mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An official of Ancient Rome who controlled or superintended a particular command, charge, department, etc.
the prefect of the aqueducts; the prefect of a camp, of a fleet, of the city guard, or of provisions; the pretorian prefect, who was commander of the troops guarding the emperor's person
- 2
The head of a department in France.
- 3
The head of a county in Albania or Romania.
- 4
The head of a prefecture in Japan.
- 5
UKA school pupil in a position of power over other pupils.
- 6
A commander.
- 7
A head of a dicastery of the Roman Curia of the Roman Catholic Church.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate prefect?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of prefect: pre.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Prefect in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | préfet , préfète |
| German | Präfekt , Präfektin |
| Portuguese | prefeito |
| Spanish | prefecto , prefecta |
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 prefect come from?
From Middle English prefect and prefecte, from Old French prefect (Mod. French préfet), from Latin praefectus (“one placed in charge, overseer, director, prefect”), from praeficere (“to place in charge”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).