# prior

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈpɹaɪ.ə/ · frequency rank #1,493

## Definitions
1. Coming before in order or time; earlier, former, previous.
2. More important or significant.
3. Chiefly in prior probability: of the probability of an event: determined without knowledge of the occurrence of other events that bear on it, before additional data is collected.

## Etymology
The adjective is a learned borrowing from Latin prior (“earlier, former, previous, prior; in front; (figurative) better, superior”), from Proto-Italic *priōs (“earlier, previous”, literally “more before”), ultimately from *pri (“before”) (from Proto-Indo-European *pró (“leading to, toward”) and its etymon *per- (“before, in front; first”)) + *-jōs (suffix forming comparative adjectives). Doublet of before, fore, and former.
The adverb and noun are derived from the adjective.

## Easily confused with
- **pro** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prior-vs-pro)
- **pros** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prior-vs-pros)
- **prom** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prior-vs-prom)
- **prop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prior-vs-prop)
- **prob** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prior-vs-prob)
- **prod** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prior-vs-prod)
- **proc** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prior-vs-proc)
- **prog** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prior-vs-prog)
- **Prot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prior-vs-prot)
- **proof** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prior-vs-proof)
- **prize** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prior-vs-prize)
- **privy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prior-vs-privy)
- **prism** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prior-vs-prism)
- **Pryor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prior-vs-pryor)
- **Prius** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prior-vs-prius)
- **Priya** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prior-vs-priya)
- **prison** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prior-vs-prison)
- **priory** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prior-vs-priory)
- **pir** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pir-vs-prior)
- **poor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/poor-vs-prior)

## Common misspellings (7)
`piror`, `pprior`, `priorr`, `priro`, `proir`, `prrior`, `rpior`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/prior