priority

/pɹaɪˈɒɹ.ɪ.ti/

//pɹaɪˈɒɹ.ɪ.ti// noun

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

"priority" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“priority” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,577. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,577
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An item's relative importance.

Corpus desk

Index EN-priority · priority · English

priority · rank #3,577 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,577
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH presents

Nearest frequency peer: presents (-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 “priority”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “priority” 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).

priority vs priory
75% similar

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

Key facts for priority
PropertyValue
Headwordpriority
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹaɪˈɒɹ.ɪ.ti/
Letters8
Frequency rank#3,577
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “priority”

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).prioritylands 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 “presents” (#3,576), “promotion” (#3,578), “rail” (#3,579). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “priority” is #3,577. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around priority (IPA /pɹaɪˈɒɹ.ɪ.ti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,577 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for priority, with forms such as "pirority", "ppriority", and "prioirty". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "priory", 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 priorite, from Latin priōritās. Surface analysis: prior + -ity. The correct English form is priority, spelled P-R-I-O-R-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    An item's relative importance.
  2. 2
    A goal of a person or an organisation.
  3. 3
    The quality of being earlier or coming first compared to another thing; the state of being prior.
  4. 4
    A superior claim to use by virtue of being validly published at an earlier date.
  5. 5
    Precedence; superior rank.
  6. 6
    Right of way; The right to pass (an intersection) before other road users.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He set his e-mail message's priority to high.
  2. She needs to get her priorities straight and stop playing games.

Etymology

From Old French priorite, from Latin priōritās. Surface analysis: prior + -ity.

Synonyms

anterioritydignityeminencesenioritysuperiority

This word in other languages

prioridad(Español)priorité(Français)Priorität(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pirority
  • ppriority
  • prioirty
  • prioritty
  • priorityy
  • prioriyt
  • priorrity
  • priortiy
  • priroity
  • proirity
  • prriority
  • rpiority

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

pirority2ppriority1prioirty2prioritty1priorityy1prioriyt2priorrity1priortiy2
Edit distance from "priority"

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 "priority"?
"priority" is spelled P-R-I-O-R-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹaɪˈɒɹ.ɪ.ti/.
What does "priority" mean?
As a noun, "priority" means: An item's relative importance.
What words are commonly confused with "priority"?
"priority" is commonly confused with "priory". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "priority"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "priority" is /pɹaɪˈɒɹ.ɪ.ti/. 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 "priority"?
From Old French priorite, from Latin priōritās. Surface analysis: prior + -ity. 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 "priority", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

presents#3,576opinions#3,574minority#3,572memorial#3,570

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Alexander12 variantsdramatic12 variantscrystal12 variantsforgotten12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list