prima

/ˈpɹiː.mə/

//ˈpɹiː.mə// adj

"prima" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“prima” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,661. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,661
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - most important

Corpus desk

Index EN-prima · prima · English

prima · rank #18,661 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,661
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pricey

Nearest frequency peer: pricey (-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 “prima”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “prima” 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).

prima vs prom
60% similar
prima vs puma
60% similar
prima vs prior
60% similar

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

Key facts for prima
PropertyValue
Headwordprima
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈpɹiː.mə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#18,661
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “prima”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).primalands 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 “pricey” (#18,660), “prized” (#18,662), “Pretoria” (#18,659). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “prima” is #18,661. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around prima (IPA /ˈpɹiː.mə/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #18,661 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Dominant gloss: "most important".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for prima, with forms such as "pirma", "pprima", and "priam". 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, "prom", "puma", "prior", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Derived from Italian prima, derived from Latin prīma. The correct English form is prima, spelled P-R-I-M-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    most important

Etymology

Derived from Italian prima, derived from Latin prīma.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pirma
  • pprima
  • priam
  • primma
  • prmia
  • prrima
  • rpima

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

pirma2pprima1priam2primma1prmia2prrima1rpima2
Edit distance from "prima"

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 "prima"?
"prima" is spelled P-R-I-M-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹiː.mə/.
What does "prima" mean?
As an adjective, "prima" means: most important
What words are commonly confused with "prima"?
"prima" is commonly confused with "prom", "puma", "prior". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "prima"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prima" is /ˈpɹiː.mə/. 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 "prima"?
Derived from Italian prima, derived from Latin prīma. 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 "prima", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list