preposition

/ˌpɹɛpəˈzɪʃən/

//ˌpɹɛpəˈzɪʃən// noun

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

"preposition" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“preposition” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #46,113. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#46,113
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
17
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of a class of non-inflecting words and multiword terms typically employed to connect a following noun or a pronoun, in an adjectival or adverbial sense, with some other word: a particle used wi...

Corpus desk

Index EN-preposition · preposition · English

preposition · rank #46,113 · 17 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #46,113
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Pocock

Nearest frequency peer: Pocock (-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 “preposition”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “preposition” 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).

preposition vs proposition
91% similar
preposition vs premonition
82% similar

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

Key facts for preposition
PropertyValue
Headwordpreposition
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌpɹɛpəˈzɪʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#46,113
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “preposition”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).prepositionlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Pocock” (#46,112), “plucky” (#46,111), “plebs” (#46,110). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “preposition” is #46,113. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around preposition (IPA /ˌpɹɛpəˈzɪʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #46,113 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for preposition, with forms such as "perposition", "ppreposition", and "preopsition". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "proposition", "premonition", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English preposicioun, from Old French preposicion, from Latin praepositio, praepositionem, from praepono (“to place before”), equivalent to pre- + position. Compare French préposition. So called because it is placed before the word with which it… The correct English form is preposition, spelled P-R-E-P-O-S-I-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of a class of non-inflecting words and multiword terms typically employed to connect a following noun or a pronoun, in an adjectival or adverbial sense, with some other word: a particle used with a noun or pronoun (in English always in the objective case) to make a phrase limiting some other word.
  2. 2
    An adposition.
  3. 3
    A proposition; an exposition; a discourse.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 322. The parts of speech which are neither declined nor conjugated, are called by the general name of particles. 323. They are adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.
  2. And in (121) below, we see that when a wh-NP is used as the Object of a Preposition, the whole Prepositional Phrase can undergo WH MOVEMENT: (121) (a) [To whom] can I send this letter —? (121) (b) [About what] are they quarrelling —? (121) (c) [In which book] did you read about it —?

Etymology

From Middle English preposicioun, from Old French preposicion, from Latin praepositio, praepositionem, from praepono (“to place before”), equivalent to pre- + position. Compare French préposition. So called because it is placed before the word with which it is phrased, as in a bridge of iron, he comes from town, it is good for food, he escaped by running.

This word in other languages

preposición(Español)préposition(Français)Präposition(Deutsch)preposição(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • perposition
  • ppreposition
  • preopsition
  • prepoistion
  • preposiiton
  • preposision
  • prepositino
  • prepositionn
  • prepositoin
  • preposittion
  • prepossition
  • prepostiion
  • prepposition
  • prepsoition
  • prpeosition
  • prreposition
  • rpeposition

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of preposition - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

perposition2ppreposition1preopsition2prepoistion2preposiiton2preposision1prepositino2prepositionn1
Edit distance from "preposition"

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 "preposition"?
"preposition" is spelled P-R-E-P-O-S-I-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌpɹɛpəˈzɪʃən/.
What does "preposition" mean?
As a noun, "preposition" means: Any of a class of non-inflecting words and multiword terms typically employed to connect a following noun or a pronoun, in an adjectival or adverbial sense, with some other word: a particle used wi...
What words are commonly confused with "preposition"?
"preposition" is commonly confused with "proposition", "premonition". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "preposition"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "preposition" is /ˌpɹɛpəˈzɪʃən/. 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 "preposition"?
From Middle English preposicioun, from Old French preposicion, from Latin praepositio, praepositionem, from praepono (“to place before”), equivalent to pre- + position. Compare French préposition. So called because it is placed before the word wit... 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 "preposition", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

resuscitate#46,146revisionism#46,149stockholder#46,195languishing#46,021

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

telemedicine17 variantsunconvinced17 variantsfantasizing17 variantsdreadnought17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list