primacy

/ˈpɹaɪ.mə.si/

//ˈpɹaɪ.mə.si// noun

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

"primacy" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“primacy” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,801. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,801
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state or condition of being prime or first, as in time, place, rank, etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-primacy · primacy · English

primacy · rank #33,801 · 11 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,801
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH prides

Nearest frequency peer: prides (-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 “primacy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “primacy” 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).

primacy vs primal
71% similar
primacy vs primary
86% similar
primacy vs privacy
86% similar

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

Key facts for primacy
PropertyValue
Headwordprimacy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɹaɪ.mə.si/
Letters7
Frequency rank#33,801
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “primacy”

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).primacylands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “prides” (#33,800), “PPS” (#33,799), “Portia” (#33,798). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “primacy” is #33,801. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around primacy (IPA /ˈpɹaɪ.mə.si/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #33,801 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for primacy, with forms such as "pirmacy", "pprimacy", and "priamcy". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "primal", "primary", "privacy", 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 Old French primacie, from Medieval Latin primatia (“office of a church primate”), from Latin primas plus a suffix corresponding to -acy. By surface analysis, prime + -acy. The correct English form is primacy, spelled P-R-I-M-A-C-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state or condition of being prime or first, as in time, place, rank, etc.
  2. 2
    Excellence; supremacy.
  3. 3
    The office, rank, or character of a primate, it being the chief ecclesiastical station or dignity in a national church.
  4. 4
    The office or dignity of an archbishop.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The court affirmed the primacy of federal law.
  2. He argued for the primacy of reason over emotion.

Etymology

From Old French primacie, from Medieval Latin primatia (“office of a church primate”), from Latin primas plus a suffix corresponding to -acy. By surface analysis, prime + -acy.

This word in other languages

primauté(Français)Primat(Deutsch)primado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pirmacy
  • pprimacy
  • priamcy
  • primaccy
  • primacyy
  • primayc
  • primcay
  • primmacy
  • prmiacy
  • prrimacy
  • rpimacy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

pirmacy2pprimacy1priamcy2primaccy1primacyy1primayc2primcay2primmacy1
Edit distance from "primacy"

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 "primacy"?
"primacy" is spelled P-R-I-M-A-C-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹaɪ.mə.si/.
What does "primacy" mean?
As a noun, "primacy" means: The state or condition of being prime or first, as in time, place, rank, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "primacy"?
"primacy" is commonly confused with "primal", "primary", "privacy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "primacy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "primacy" is /ˈpɹaɪ.mə.si/. 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 "primacy"?
From Old French primacie, from Medieval Latin primatia (“office of a church primate”), from Latin primas plus a suffix corresponding to -acy. By surface analysis, prime + -acy. 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 "primacy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pulaski#33,807reagent#33,811pertain#33,788rectory#33,814

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

pecking11 variantsparched11 variantsreprieve11 variantsresupply11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list