prison

/ˈpɹɪzn̩/

//ˈpɹɪzn̩// noun

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

"prison" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“prison” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,670. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,670
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A place or institution where people are held against their will, in the US especially for long-term confinement, as of those convicted of serious crimes or otherwise considered undesirable by the g...

Corpus desk

Index EN-prison · prison · English

prison · rank #1,670 · 9 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,670
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH option

Nearest frequency peer: option (-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 “prison”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “prison” 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).

prison vs proton
67% similar
prison vs prisons
86% similar
prison vs prisoner
75% similar

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

Key facts for prison
PropertyValue
Headwordprison
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɹɪzn̩/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,670
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “prison”

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).prisonlands 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 “option” (#1,669), “provides” (#1,671), “obviously” (#1,668). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “prison” is #1,670. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around prison (IPA /ˈpɹɪzn̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,670 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for prison, with forms such as "pirson", "pprison", and "priosn". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "proton", "prisons", "prisoner", 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 Middle English prisoun, prison, from Old English prisūn, a borrowing from Old French prison, from Latin prehensiōnem, accusative singular of prehensiō, from the verb prehendō. Doublet of prehension. The correct English form is prison, spelled P-R-I-S-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A place or institution where people are held against their will, in the US especially for long-term confinement, as of those convicted of serious crimes or otherwise considered undesirable by the government.
  2. 2
    Confinement in prison.
  3. 3
    Any restrictive environment, such as a harsh academy or home.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The cold stone walls of the prison had stood for over a century.
  2. Prison was a harrowing experience for him.

Etymology

From Middle English prisoun, prison, from Old English prisūn, a borrowing from Old French prison, from Latin prehensiōnem, accusative singular of prehensiō, from the verb prehendō. Doublet of prehension.

This word in other languages

cárcel(Español)prison(Français)Gefängnis(Deutsch)prisão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pirson
  • pprison
  • priosn
  • prisno
  • prisonn
  • prisson
  • prrison
  • prsion
  • rpison

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of prison - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

pirson2pprison1priosn2prisno2prisonn1prisson1prrison1prsion2
Edit distance from "prison"

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 "prison"?
"prison" is spelled P-R-I-S-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹɪzn̩/.
What does "prison" mean?
As a noun, "prison" means: A place or institution where people are held against their will, in the US especially for long-term confinement, as of those convicted of serious crimes or otherwise considered undesirable by the g...
What words are commonly confused with "prison"?
"prison" is commonly confused with "proton", "prisons", "prisoner". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "prison"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prison" is /ˈpɹɪzn̩/. 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 "prison"?
From Middle English prisoun, prison, from Old English prisūn, a borrowing from Old French prison, from Latin prehensiōnem, accusative singular of prehensiō, from the verb prehendō. Doublet of prehension. 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 "prison", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

option#1,669senate#1,673Monday#1,666method#1,664

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

smaller9 variantswindow9 variantsartist9 variantscorrect9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list