premature

/ˌpɹɛ.məˈtjʊə/

//ˌpɹɛ.məˈtjʊə// adj

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

"premature" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“premature” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,272. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,272
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Occurring before a state of readiness or maturity has arrived.

Corpus desk

Index EN-premature · premature · English

premature · rank #11,272 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #11,272
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH prank

Nearest frequency peer: prank (-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 “premature”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “premature” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

premature vs prematurely
82% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for premature
PropertyValue
Headwordpremature
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌpɹɛ.məˈtjʊə/
Letters9
Frequency rank#11,272
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “premature”

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).prematurelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “prank” (#11,271), “psychiatrist” (#11,273), “prairie” (#11,270). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “premature” is #11,272. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around premature (IPA /ˌpɹɛ.məˈtjʊə/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #11,272 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for premature, with forms such as "permature", "ppremature", and "preamture". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "prematurely", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin praemātūrus, equivalent to pre- + mature. First use appears c. 1440 in a translation of Palladius's De Re Rustica. The correct English form is premature, spelled P-R-E-M-A-T-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Occurring before a state of readiness or maturity has arrived.
  2. 2
    Taking place earlier than anticipated, prepared for, or desired.
  3. 3
    Suffering from premature ejaculation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a premature birth
  2. premature reports of the singer's death

Etymology

From Latin praemātūrus, equivalent to pre- + mature. First use appears c. 1440 in a translation of Palladius's De Re Rustica.

Synonyms

anticipatoryearlyforwardhastyprecipitateprecociousprematureprevenientpreviousunseasonableuntimely

Antonyms

nonprematureoverduepunctual

This word in other languages

prématuré(Français)frühreif(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • permature
  • ppremature
  • preamture
  • prematrue
  • prematture
  • prematuer
  • prematurre
  • premautre
  • premmature
  • premtaure
  • prmeature
  • prremature
  • rpemature

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of premature - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

permature2ppremature1preamture2prematrue2prematture1prematuer2prematurre1premautre2
Edit distance from "premature"

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 "premature"?
"premature" is spelled P-R-E-M-A-T-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌpɹɛ.məˈtjʊə/.
What does "premature" mean?
As an adjective, "premature" means: Occurring before a state of readiness or maturity has arrived.
What words are commonly confused with "premature"?
"premature" is commonly confused with "prematurely". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "premature"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "premature" is /ˌpɹɛ.məˈtjʊə/. 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 "premature"?
From Latin praemātūrus, equivalent to pre- + mature. First use appears c. 1440 in a translation of Palladius's De Re Rustica. 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 "premature", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

residency#11,278stretches#11,302irregular#11,238insulting#11,237

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

stranded13 variantstreasures13 variantshighland13 variantsHastings13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list