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primer

/ˈpɹɪm.əɹ/noun

primer is spelled P-R-I-M-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, primer means “A prayer or devotional book intended for laity, initially an abridgment of the breviary and manual including the hours of the Virgin Mary, 15 gradual…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of primer is primers.

How many letters and syllables are in primer?

Letters6: P-R-I-M-E-R
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing3.2 times per million words; the 14,928th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is primer?

Primer appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce primer?

  • UK /ˈpɹaɪ.mə/
  • US /ˈpɹɪm.əɹ/
  • /ˈpɹaɪməɹ/

As a noun (“Any substance or device, such as priming wire or blasting…”): /ˈpɹaɪ.mə(ɹ)/, /ˈpɹaɪmɚ/.

Primer has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-primer.ogg, En-us-primer_(irregular).oga, En-us-primer.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with primer?

6 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as primer from its last stressed vowel (/ɪməɹ/):

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of primer

  • primers plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does primer mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A prayer or devotional book intended for laity, initially an abridgment of the breviary and manual including the hours of the Virgin Mary, 15 gradual and 7 penitential psalms, the litany, the placebo and dirige forming the office of the dead, and the commendations.

  2. 2

    Any of various similar works issued in England for private prayer in accordance with the Book of Common Prayer.

  3. 3

    A children's book intended to teach literacy: how to read, write, and spell.

  4. 4

    An introductory text on any subject, particularly basic concepts.

  5. 5

    obsoleteAn elementary school class; an elementary school student.

  6. 6

    Any substance or device, such as priming wire or blasting cap, used to ignite gunpowder or other explosive.

  7. 7

    obsoleteA person who primes explosives.

  8. 8

    A substance used to prime wood, metal, etc. in preparation for painting.

  9. 9

    A layer of such a substance.

  10. 10

    A layer of makeup that goes beneath the foundation; undermakeup.

  11. 11

    obsoleteA person who primes wood, metal, etc.

  12. 12

    A molecule which initiates the synthesis of an enzyme, (especially) a single-stranded nucleic acid molecule which initiates DNA replication.

  13. 13

    A pheromone which interacts first with the endocrine system.

adjective

  1. 1

    obsoleteFirst in time, initial, early.

  2. 2

    obsoleteFirst in importance, premier.

  3. 3

    obsoleterareFirst in position, foremost.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Primer in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchabécédaire, abc (children's book introducing basic literacy), amorce (substance used to ignite a fire), sous-couche (layer of priming substance)
GermanFibel, Abecedarium, ABC-Buch (children's book introducing basic literacy), Abecedar (introductory textbook), Zündkapsel (small charge used to ignite gunpowder or other…), Grundierung (substance used to prime wood, metal, etc)
Portuguesecartilha (children's book introducing basic literacy), abecedário (introductory textbook), espoleta (small charge used to ignite gunpowder or other…), primer (layer of cosmetic substance), iniciador (biology: molecule required for replication of…)
Spanishcartilla, abecé, silabario (children's book introducing basic literacy), introducción (introductory textbook), iniciador, cebador (biology: molecule required for replication of…)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does primer come from?

From Middle English primer, primere, from Medieval Latin primarius and primarium (“prayer book”) possibly via Anglo-Norman primer (“prayer book”), from prima (“prime the liturgical hour and office”) + -arius and -arium (suffix forming related objects). Its use for schoolbooks derived from the late medieval and early modern use of such prayer books to teach reading.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after primer