prevail

/pɹɪˈveɪl/

//pɹɪˈveɪl// verb

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

"prevail" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“prevail” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #13,988 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#13,988
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To be superior in strength, dominance, influence, or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand; to outnumber others.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

prevail vs prevailed
78% similar
prevail vs prepaid
71% similar

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

Key facts for prevail
PropertyValue
Headwordprevail
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pɹɪˈveɪl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#13,988
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “prevail” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for prevail is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pɹɪˈveɪl/. Corpus data places it at rank #13,988 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for prevail, with forms such as "pervail", "pprevail", and "preavil". 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, "prevailed", "prepaid", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English prevailen, from Old French prevaler, from Latin praevaleō (“be very able or more able, be superior, prevail”), from prae (“before”) + valeō (“be able or powerful”). Displaced native Old English rīcsian. The correct English form is prevail, spelled P-R-E-V-A-I-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    To be superior in strength, dominance, influence, or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand; to outnumber others.
  2. 2
    To triumph; to be victorious.
  3. 3
    To be current, widespread, or predominant; to have currency or prevalence.
  4. 4
    To succeed in persuading or inducing.
  5. 5
    To avail.

Etymology

From Middle English prevailen, from Old French prevaler, from Latin praevaleō (“be very able or more able, be superior, prevail”), from prae (“before”) + valeō (“be able or powerful”). Displaced native Old English rīcsian.

This word in other languages

prevalecer(Español)dominer(Français)dominieren(Deutsch)prevalecer(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: pervail,pprevail,preavil,prevaill,prevali,previal,prevvail,prrevail,prveail,rpevail

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of prevail - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

pervail2pprevail1preavil2prevaill1prevali2previal2prevvail1prrevail1
Edit distance from "prevail"

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 "prevail"?
"prevail" is spelled P-R-E-V-A-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹɪˈveɪl/.
What does "prevail" mean?
As a verb, "prevail" means: To be superior in strength, dominance, influence, or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand; to outnumber others.
What words are commonly confused with "prevail"?
"prevail" is commonly confused with "prevailed", "prepaid". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "prevail"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prevail" is /pɹɪˈveɪl/. 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 "prevail"?
From Middle English prevailen, from Old French prevaler, from Latin praevaleō (“be very able or more able, be superior, prevail”), from prae (“before”) + valeō (“be able or powerful”). Displaced native Old English rīcsian. 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 “prevail”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-R-E-V-A-I-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /pɹɪˈveɪl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “prevailed” - see the side-by-side comparison. prevail vs prevailed
  • 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list