prequel
/ˈpɹiːkwəl/noun
prequel is spelled P-R-E-Q-U-E-L: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,651st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, prequel means “In a series of works, an installment that is set chronologically before its predecessor, especially the original narrative or (perhaps improper…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of prequel is prequels.
How many letters and syllables are in prequel?
| Letters | 7: P-R-E-Q-U-E-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.5 times per million words; the 22,651st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is prequel?
Prequel appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,651st 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 prequel?
- /ˈpɹiːkwəl/
Prequel 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)-Back_ache-prequel.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of prequel
- prequels plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does prequel mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
In a series of works, an installment that is set chronologically before its predecessor, especially the original narrative or (perhaps improper usage) any narrative work with at least one sequel.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Prequel in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in a series of works, an installment that is set chronologically before its pred:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | préquelle, antépisode, prequel |
| German | Prequel, Vorläufer, Vorgeschichte, Vorgänger |
| Portuguese | prequela, prelúdio, prequência |
| Spanish | precuela, protosecuela |
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 prequel come from?
From pre- (“before”) + quel, by analogy with sequel.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).