preternatural

/ˌpɹiː.təˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə)ɹ.əl/

//ˌpɹiː.təˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə)ɹ.əl// adj

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

"preternatural" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“preternatural” is uncommon English (frequency #84,630 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#84,630
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Beyond or not conforming to what is natural or according to the regular course of things; strange.

Corpus desk

Index EN-preternatural · preternatural · English

preternatural · rank #84,630 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #84,630
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH prescience

Nearest frequency peer: prescience (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “preternatural”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for preternatural
PropertyValue
Headwordpreternatural
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌpɹiː.təˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə)ɹ.əl/
Letters13
Frequency rank#84,630
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “preternatural” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “prescience” (#84,629), “protozoan” (#84,631), “preferment” (#84,627). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “preternatural” is #84,630. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

preternatural is uncommon English at frequency #84,630 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌpɹiː.təˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə)ɹ.əl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for preternatural in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From preter- + natural, after Latin prēternātūrālis/praeternātūrālis, from praeter nātūram, from praeter (“beyond”) + nātūra (“nature”); compare supernatural. The correct English form is preternatural, spelled P-R-E-T-E-R-N-A-T-U-R-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Beyond or not conforming to what is natural or according to the regular course of things; strange.
  2. 2
    Having an existence outside of the natural world.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I have employed cold air, and very often spongings with cold water, in order to moderate the preternatural heat of the skin, and to check the increased velocity of the circulation.
  2. Doubtless there has been some exaggeration in the picturesque and fanciful relations of the almost preternatural skill and cunning of the Indian […]

Etymology

From preter- + natural, after Latin prēternātūrālis/praeternātūrālis, from praeter nātūram, from praeter (“beyond”) + nātūra (“nature”); compare supernatural.

Synonyms

supernaturaluncanny

This word in other languages

preternatural(Español)surnaturel(Français)

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 "preternatural"?
"preternatural" is spelled P-R-E-T-E-R-N-A-T-U-R-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌpɹiː.təˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə)ɹ.əl/.
What does "preternatural" mean?
As an adjective, "preternatural" means: Beyond or not conforming to what is natural or according to the regular course of things; strange.
How do you pronounce "preternatural"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "preternatural" is /ˌpɹiː.təˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə)ɹ.əl/. 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 "preternatural"?
From preter- + natural, after Latin prēternātūrālis/praeternātūrālis, from praeter nātūram, from praeter (“beyond”) + nātūra (“nature”); compare supernatural. 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 "preternatural", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pathogenicity#84,598nonfunctional#84,560soundproofing#84,766malabsorption#84,482

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list