preterition

noun

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

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

The verdict

“preterition” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of passing by, disregarding or omitting.

Key facts for preterition
PropertyValue
Headwordpreterition
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “preterition” sits in English frequency

preterition falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

preterition is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

preterition doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin praeteritiō, from praetereō (“I omit”). The correct English form is preterition, spelled P-R-E-T-E-R-I-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of passing by, disregarding or omitting.
  2. 2
    Synonym of paralipsis.
  3. 3
    The failure of a testator to name a legal heir in their will.
  4. 4
    The doctrine that God passes over the non-elect in electing to eternal life those predestinated to salvation.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin praeteritiō, from praetereō (“I omit”).

Synonyms

pretermission

This word in other languages

preterición(Español)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "preterition"?
"preterition" is spelled P-R-E-T-E-R-I-T-I-O-N.
What does "preterition" mean?
As a noun, "preterition" means: The act of passing by, disregarding or omitting.
What is the origin of the word "preterition"?
Borrowed from Latin praeteritiō, from praetereō (“I omit”). 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.

Using “preterition”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-R-E-T-E-R-I-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list