previous
/ˈpɹi.vi.əs/adjective, noun
previous is spelled P-R-E-V-I-O-U-S: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 100 times per million words in written English, the 1,076th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, previous means “Prior; occurring before something else, either in time or order” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in previous?
| Letters | 8: P-R-E-V-I-O-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 100 times per million words; the 1,076th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is previous?
Previous appears 100 times per million words in written English, the 1,076th 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 previous?
- US /ˈpɹi.vi.əs/
- UK /ˈpɹiː.vɪəs/
Previous 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). Recordings: En-us-previous.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with previous?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as previous (/iviəs/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: pervious.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of previous
- more previous comparative
- most previous superlative
- previouses plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does previous mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Prior; occurring before something else, either in time or order.
He is no better than the previous Prime Minister.
- 2
informalPremature; acting or occurring too soon.
noun
- 1
UKinformalAn existing criminal record (short for "previous convictions")
It turned out the shoplifter had a lot of previous.
- 2
UKinformalA track record of similar behaviour, especially bad behaviour.
- 3
UKinformalA record of previous hostility or conflict (between people).
The two players refused to shake hands – there's a bit of previous there.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate previous?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of previous: prev.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Previous in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense prior:
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 previous come from?
From Latin praevius.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).