previous
/ˈpɹi.vi.əs/
"previous" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“previous” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,093 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #1,093
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Prior; occurring before something else, either in time or order.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | previous |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈpɹi.vi.əs/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #1,093 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “previous” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for previous is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɹi.vi.əs/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,093 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for previous, with forms such as "pervious", "pprevious", and "preivous". 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, "previously", "precious", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin praevius. The correct English form is previous, spelled P-R-E-V-I-O-U-S.
Definition
- 1Prior; occurring before something else, either in time or order.
- 2Premature; acting or occurring too soon.
Etymology
From Latin praevius.
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: pervious,pprevious,preivous,previosu,previouss,previuos,prevoius,prevvious,prrevious,prveious,rpevious
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of previous - 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.
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 "previous"?
What does "previous" mean?
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Using “previous”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-R-E-V-I-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpɹi.vi.əs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “previously” - see the side-by-side comparison. previous vs previously
- 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.