preferment

/pɹɪˈfəːmənt/

//pɹɪˈfəːmənt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“preferment” is uncommon English (frequency #84,627 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#84,627
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Prior claim (on payment, or on purchasing something); the first rights to obtain a particular payment or product.

Corpus desk

Index EN-preferment · preferment · English

preferment · rank #84,627 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #84,627
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH prang

Nearest frequency peer: prang (-2 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 “preferment”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for preferment
PropertyValue
Headwordpreferment
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹɪˈfəːmənt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#84,627
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “preferment” in English

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).prefermentfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “prang” (#84,625), “prescience” (#84,629), “preternatural” (#84,630). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “preferment” is #84,627. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

preferment is uncommon English at frequency #84,627 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /pɹɪˈfəːmənt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

preferment doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English preferment, preferrement, prefferment; equivalent to prefer + -ment. The correct English form is preferment, spelled P-R-E-F-E-R-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Prior claim (on payment, or on purchasing something); the first rights to obtain a particular payment or product.
  2. 2
    The fact of being pushed or advanced to a more favourable situation; furtherance, promotion (of a candidate, action, undertaking etc.).
  3. 3
    Advancement to a higher position or office; promotion.
  4. 4
    A position (especially in the Church of England) that provides profit or prestige.
  5. 5
    The fact of preferring something; preference.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. But consider—you need not be afraid of delegating power to me. I am no young lady on her preferment. Married women, you know, may be safely authorised.
  2. A mind warranted from prejudice, hath a marvellous preferment [translating avancement] to tranquility.

Etymology

From Middle English preferment, preferrement, prefferment; equivalent to prefer + -ment.

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 "preferment"?
"preferment" is spelled P-R-E-F-E-R-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹɪˈfəːmənt/.
What does "preferment" mean?
As a noun, "preferment" means: Prior claim (on payment, or on purchasing something); the first rights to obtain a particular payment or product.
How do you pronounce "preferment"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "preferment" is /pɹɪˈfəːmənt/. 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 "preferment"?
From Middle English preferment, preferrement, prefferment; equivalent to prefer + -ment. 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 "preferment", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

prescience#84,629plagiarize#84,613Pangasinan#84,594reentering#84,669

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list