pretrial
/pɹɪˈtɹaɪəl/adjective, noun
pretrial is spelled P-R-E-T-R-I-A-L: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,703rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, pretrial means “Pertaining to a preliminary trial” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in pretrial?
| Letters | 8: P-R-E-T-R-I-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 40,703rd 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 pretrial?
Pretrial appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,703rd 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 pretrial?
- /pɹɪˈtɹaɪəl/
Pretrial has 3 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).
Words people confuse with pretrial
Also written: pre-trial (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of pretrial
- pre-trial
- pretrials plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pretrial mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Pertaining to a preliminary trial.
- 2
Before a trial.
noun
- 1
A preliminary trial held in advance of a court trial.
As a result, another pretrial review was to be held on 17 February.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pretrial in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a preliminary trial held in advance of a court trial:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Vorverhandlung |
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 pretrial come from?
From pre- + trial.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).