prey

/pɹeɪ/

//pɹeɪ// noun

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

"prey" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“prey” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,377. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,377
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - That which is or may be seized by animals to be devoured.

Corpus desk

Index EN-prey · prey · English

prey · rank #7,377 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,377
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH portions

Nearest frequency peer: portions (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “prey”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “prey” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

prey vs pro
50% similar
prey vs pry
75% similar
prey vs PRS
0% similar

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

Key facts for prey
PropertyValue
Headwordprey
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹeɪ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#7,377
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “prey”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “portions” (#7,376), “prophet” (#7,378), “porter” (#7,375). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “prey” is #7,377. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around prey (IPA /pɹeɪ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,377 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for prey, with forms such as "pprey", "preyy", and "prrey". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pro", "pry", "PRS", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English preye, prei, preyȝe, borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Old French preie, one of the variants of proie, from Latin praeda. Compare predator. Doublet of prede. The correct English form is prey, spelled P-R-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    That which is or may be seized by animals to be devoured.
  2. 2
    A person or thing given up as a victim.
  3. 3
    A living thing, usually an animal, that is eaten by another living thing.
  4. 4
    Anything, such as goods, etc., taken or got by violence; something taken by force from an enemy in war.
  5. 5
    The act of devouring other creatures; ravage.
  6. 6
    The victim of a disease.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The deer became prey to the lion.
  2. Already sees herself the monster's prey.

Etymology

From Middle English preye, prei, preyȝe, borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Old French preie, one of the variants of proie, from Latin praeda. Compare predator. Doublet of prede.

This word in other languages

botín(Español)butin(Français)Beute(Deutsch)presa(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pprey
  • preyy
  • prrey
  • prye
  • rpey

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of prey - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

pprey1preyy1prrey1prye2rpey2
Edit distance from "prey"

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 "prey"?
"prey" is spelled P-R-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹeɪ/.
What does "prey" mean?
As a noun, "prey" means: That which is or may be seized by animals to be devoured.
What words are commonly confused with "prey"?
"prey" is commonly confused with "pro", "pry", "PRS". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "prey"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prey" is /pɹeɪ/. 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 "prey"?
From Middle English preye, prei, preyȝe, borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Old French preie, one of the variants of proie, from Latin praeda. Compare predator. Doublet of prede. 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 "prey", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pond#7,374pity#7,373oval#7,372Olds#7,369

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).

wade5 variantsbean5 variantsGlenn5 variantssore5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list