prefecture

/ˈpɹiːfɛkt͡ʃə/

//ˈpɹiːfɛkt͡ʃə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“prefecture” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,366. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,366
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The office or position of a prefect.

Corpus desk

Index EN-prefecture · prefecture · English

prefecture · rank #23,366 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,366
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pretentious

Nearest frequency peer: pretentious (+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 “prefecture”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “prefecture” 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 prefecture
PropertyValue
Headwordprefecture
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɹiːfɛkt͡ʃə/
Letters10
Frequency rank#23,366
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “prefecture”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).prefecturelands 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 “pretentious” (#23,367), “possessive” (#23,364), “Pritchard” (#23,368). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “prefecture” is #23,366. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around prefecture (IPA /ˈpɹiːfɛkt͡ʃə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,366 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for prefecture, with forms such as "perfecture", "pprefecture", and "preefcture". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French préfecture, from Latin praefectūra. Equivalent to prefect + -ure. As an East Asian administrative division, a calque of Chinese 府 (fǔ) and 郡 (jùn), also used to describe 縣 /县 (xian, “county”) and 州 (zhou, “province”) in some eras. The correct English form is prefecture, spelled P-R-E-F-E-C-T-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The office or position of a prefect.
  2. 2
    The jurisdiction of a prefect; the region administered by a prefect, especially as a translation of certain French, Chinese, and Japanese administrative divisions.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The top anti-corruption watchdog in Southwest China’s Yunnan province said on Friday the governor of the burgeoning aluminium hub of Wenshan had been placed under investigation. Zhang Xiulan, who has been governor of Wenshan prefecture since March 2015, is suspected of “grave violations of discipline and the law,” the Yunnan Province Commission for Discip…
  2. In particular, Kumamoto prefecture in southwestern Japan is quickly becoming a hotbed for tech investment from companies including TSMC and Fujifilm Holdings Corp (FUJIF).

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French préfecture, from Latin praefectūra. Equivalent to prefect + -ure. As an East Asian administrative division, a calque of Chinese 府 (fǔ) and 郡 (jùn), also used to describe 縣 /县 (xian, “county”) and 州 (zhou, “province”) in some eras.

Synonyms

junfuchunfoocommandery

This word in other languages

prefectura(Español)préfecture(Français)Präfektur(Deutsch)prefeitura(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • perfecture
  • pprefecture
  • preefcture
  • prefceture
  • prefeccture
  • prefectrue
  • prefectture
  • prefectuer
  • prefecturre
  • prefecutre
  • prefetcure
  • preffecture
  • prfeecture
  • prrefecture
  • rpefecture

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

perfecture2pprefecture1preefcture2prefceture2prefeccture1prefectrue2prefectture1prefectuer2
Edit distance from "prefecture"

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 "prefecture"?
"prefecture" is spelled P-R-E-F-E-C-T-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹiːfɛkt͡ʃə/.
What does "prefecture" mean?
As a noun, "prefecture" means: The office or position of a prefect.
What are common misspellings of "prefecture"?
Common misspellings include "perfecture", "pprefecture", "preefcture", "prefceture", "prefeccture". The correct spelling is "prefecture".
How do you pronounce "prefecture"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prefecture" is /ˈpɹiːfɛkt͡ʃə/. 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 "prefecture"?
Borrowed from Middle French préfecture, from Latin praefectūra. Equivalent to prefect + -ure. As an East Asian administrative division, a calque of Chinese 府 (fǔ) and 郡 (jùn), also used to describe 縣 /县 (xian, “county”) and 州 (zhou, “province”) in... 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 "prefecture", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

possessive#23,364mutilation#23,341motorsport#23,339specifying#23,403

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

Pritchard15 variantsHendricks15 variantshairdresser15 variantsgrapefruit15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list