prisoner

/ˈpɹɪzənə/

//ˈpɹɪzənə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“prisoner” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,155. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,155
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person incarcerated in a prison, while on trial or serving a sentence.

Corpus desk

Index EN-prisoner · prisoner · English

prisoner · rank #5,155 · 12 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,155
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH precisely

Nearest frequency peer: precisely (-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 “prisoner”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “prisoner” 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).

prisoner vs prisons
75% similar
prisoner vs prisoners
89% similar
prisoner vs prison
75% similar

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

Key facts for prisoner
PropertyValue
Headwordprisoner
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɹɪzənə/
Letters8
Frequency rank#5,155
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “prisoner”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).prisonerlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “precisely” (#5,154), “privilege” (#5,156), “pollution” (#5,153). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “prisoner” is #5,155. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around prisoner (IPA /ˈpɹɪzənə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,155 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for prisoner, with forms such as "pirsoner", "pprisoner", and "priosner". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "prisons", "prisoners", "prison", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English prisoner, from Old French prisonier (compare Medieval Latin prisōnārius), equivalent to prison + -er. The correct English form is prisoner, spelled P-R-I-S-O-N-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person incarcerated in a prison, while on trial or serving a sentence.
  2. 2
    Any person held against their will.
  3. 3
    A person who is or feels confined or trapped by a situation or a set of circumstances.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Two other prisoners were staying in the same cell as him.
  2. The evidence disclosed that the three prisoners were in a public-house together with the prosecutor, Abraham Rhodes, and that in concert with the other two prisoners, the prisoner John Dewhirst placed a pencase on the table in the room where they were assembled, and left the room to get writing-paper.

Etymology

From Middle English prisoner, from Old French prisonier (compare Medieval Latin prisōnārius), equivalent to prison + -er.

Synonyms

inmateprisonerguest of Her Majesty

This word in other languages

prisionero(Español)prisonnier(Français)Gefangener(Deutsch)prisioneiro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pirsoner
  • pprisoner
  • priosner
  • prisnoer
  • prisoenr
  • prisonerr
  • prisonner
  • prisonre
  • prissoner
  • prrisoner
  • prsioner
  • rpisoner

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

pirsoner2pprisoner1priosner2prisnoer2prisoenr2prisonerr1prisonner1prisonre2
Edit distance from "prisoner"

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 "prisoner"?
"prisoner" is spelled P-R-I-S-O-N-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹɪzənə/.
What does "prisoner" mean?
As a noun, "prisoner" means: A person incarcerated in a prison, while on trial or serving a sentence.
What words are commonly confused with "prisoner"?
"prisoner" is commonly confused with "prisons", "prisoners", "prison". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "prisoner"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prisoner" is /ˈpɹɪzənə/. 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 "prisoner"?
From Middle English prisoner, from Old French prisonier (compare Medieval Latin prisōnārius), equivalent to prison + -er. 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 "prisoner", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

pointing#5,152patience#5,150opponent#5,147missions#5,145

Similar misspelling depth

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

pollution12 variantsmarijuana12 variantswondered12 variantsdismissed12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list