prim

/pɹɪm/

//pɹɪm// adj

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

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

The verdict

“prim” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #34,235 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#34,235
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of a person, their manner or appearance: Formal and precise; stiffly decorous.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

prim vs pro
50% similar
prim vs psi
50% similar
prim vs pry
50% similar

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

Key facts for prim
PropertyValue
Headwordprim
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/pɹɪm/
Letters4
Frequency rank#34,235
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “prim” 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). prim 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 prim is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pɹɪm/. Corpus data places it at rank #34,235 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for prim, with forms such as "pirm", "pprim", and "primm". 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", "psi", "pry", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Of uncertain origin. In the verb sense, first appeared in Thomas D'Urfey's A Fool's Preferment in the year 1688. In the noun sense, first appeared in A New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew in the year 1699, meaning "prig." Now … The correct English form is prim, spelled P-R-I-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of a person, their manner or appearance: Formal and precise; stiffly decorous.
  2. 2
    Of a person: Prudish; straight-laced.
  3. 3
    Of things: Neat; trim.

Etymology

Of uncertain origin. In the verb sense, first appeared in Thomas D'Urfey's A Fool's Preferment in the year 1688. In the noun sense, first appeared in A New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew in the year 1699, meaning "prig." Now obsolete. In the adjective sense, first appeared in Sir Richard Steele's The Funeral in the year 1702, meaning "consciously or affectedly strict or precise; stiffly formal and respectable." Oxford English Dictionary proposed a relation with primp and prink. Chiefly Scottish and U.S.

This word in other languages

mojigato(Español)collet monté(Français)prüde(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: pirm,pprim,primm,prmi,prrim,rpim

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of prim - 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.

pirm2pprim1primm1prmi2prrim1rpim2
Edit distance from "prim"

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 "prim"?
"prim" is spelled P-R-I-M. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹɪm/.
What does "prim" mean?
As an adjective, "prim" means: Of a person, their manner or appearance: Formal and precise; stiffly decorous.
What words are commonly confused with "prim"?
"prim" is commonly confused with "pro", "psi", "pry". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "prim"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prim" is /pɹɪm/. 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 "prim"?
Of uncertain origin. In the verb sense, first appeared in Thomas D'Urfey's A Fool's Preferment in the year 1688. In the noun sense, first appeared in A New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew in the year 1699, meaning "p... 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 “prim”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-R-I-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /pɹɪm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “pro” - see the side-by-side comparison. prim vs pro
  • 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