priest

/ˈpɹiːst/

//ˈpɹiːst// noun

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

"priest" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“priest” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,109. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,109
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A religious clergyman (clergywoman, clergyperson) who is trained to perform services or sacrifices at a church or temple.

Corpus desk

Index EN-priest · priest · English

priest · rank #4,109 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,109
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pretend

Nearest frequency peer: pretend (-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 “priest”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “priest” 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).

priest vs print
67% similar
priest vs prism
67% similar
priest vs Prius
50% similar

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

Key facts for priest
PropertyValue
Headwordpriest
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɹiːst/
Letters6
Frequency rank#4,109
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “priest”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).priestlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “pretend” (#4,108), “prominent” (#4,110), “preparing” (#4,107). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “priest” is #4,109. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around priest (IPA /ˈpɹiːst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,109 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for priest, with forms such as "pirest", "ppriest", and "preist". 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, "print", "prism", "Prius", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English prest, preest, from Old English prēost (“priest”), from Late Latin presbyter, from Ancient Greek πρεσβύτερος (presbúteros), from πρέσβυς (présbus, “elder, older”). Reinforced in Middle English by Old French prestre, also from Latin presb… The correct English form is priest, spelled P-R-I-E-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A religious clergyman (clergywoman, clergyperson) who is trained to perform services or sacrifices at a church or temple.
  2. 2
    A blunt tool, used for quickly stunning and killing fish.
  3. 3
    The highest office in the Aaronic priesthood.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The priest at the Catholic church heard his confession.
  2. The Shinto priest burnt incense for his ancestors.

Etymology

From Middle English prest, preest, from Old English prēost (“priest”), from Late Latin presbyter, from Ancient Greek πρεσβύτερος (presbúteros), from πρέσβυς (présbus, “elder, older”). Reinforced in Middle English by Old French prestre, also from Latin presbyter. Doublet of presbyter and prester.

This word in other languages

sacerdote(Español)prêtre(Français)Priester(Deutsch)padre(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pirest
  • ppriest
  • preist
  • priesst
  • priestt
  • priets
  • priset
  • prriest
  • rpiest

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of priest - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

pirest2ppriest1preist2priesst1priestt1priets2priset2prriest1
Edit distance from "priest"

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 "priest"?
"priest" is spelled P-R-I-E-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹiːst/.
What does "priest" mean?
As a noun, "priest" means: A religious clergyman (clergywoman, clergyperson) who is trained to perform services or sacrifices at a church or temple.
What words are commonly confused with "priest"?
"priest" is commonly confused with "print", "prism", "Prius". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "priest"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "priest" is /ˈpɹiːst/. 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 "priest"?
From Middle English prest, preest, from Old English prēost (“priest”), from Late Latin presbyter, from Ancient Greek πρεσβύτερος (presbúteros), from πρέσβυς (présbus, “elder, older”). Reinforced in Middle English by Old French prestre, also from L... 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 "priest", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

proven#4,111reward#4,116genius#4,089fuckin#4,086

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Nigeria9 variantsfoster9 variantsethnic9 variantscourage9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list