privilege

/ˈpɹɪv.(ɪ.)lɪd͡ʒ/

//ˈpɹɪv.(ɪ.)lɪd͡ʒ// noun

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

"privilege" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“privilege” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,156. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,156
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An exemption from certain laws granted by the Pope.

Corpus desk

Index EN-privilege · privilege · English

privilege · rank #5,156 · 13 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,156
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 46,516
  • PHOTO-FINISH prisoner

Nearest frequency peer: prisoner (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “privilege”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “privilege” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

privilege vs privileged
90% similar
privilege vs privileges
90% similar

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

Key facts for privilege
PropertyValue
Headwordprivilege
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɹɪv.(ɪ.)lɪd͡ʒ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#5,156
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “privilege” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around privilege (IPA /ˈpɹɪv.(ɪ.)lɪd͡ʒ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,156 among 46,516 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for privilege, with forms such as "pirvilege", "pprivilege", and "priivlege". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "privileged", "privileges", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English privilege, from Anglo-Norman privilege and Old French privilege, from Latin prīvilēgium (“ordinance or law against or in favor of an individual”), from prīvus (“private”) + lēx, lēg- (“law”). The correct English form is privilege, spelled P-R-I-V-I-L-E-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An exemption from certain laws granted by the Pope.
  2. 2
    A particular benefit, advantage, or favor; a right or immunity enjoyed by some but not others; a prerogative, preferential treatment.
  3. 3
    An especially rare or fortunate opportunity; the good fortune (to do something).
  4. 4
    The fact of being privileged; the status or existence of (now especially social or economic) benefit or advantage within a given society.
  5. 5
    A right or immunity enjoyed by a legislative body or its members.
  6. 6
    A stock market option.
  7. 7
    A common law doctrine that protects certain communications from being used as evidence in court.
  8. 8
    An ability to perform an action on the system that can be selectively granted or denied to users.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. All first-year professors here must teach four courses a term, yet you're only teaching one! What entitled you to such a privilege?
  2. Special privileges should be reserved for family and village life, while steps should be taken to prevent families and family ownings from being broken up by inheritance.

Etymology

From Middle English privilege, from Anglo-Norman privilege and Old French privilege, from Latin prīvilēgium (“ordinance or law against or in favor of an individual”), from prīvus (“private”) + lēx, lēg- (“law”).

Synonyms

claimliberty

This word in other languages

privilegio(Español)privilège(Français)Privileg(Deutsch)privilégio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pirvilege
  • pprivilege
  • priivlege
  • privielge
  • privileeg
  • privilegge
  • privilgee
  • privillege
  • privliege
  • privvilege
  • prrivilege
  • prviilege
  • rpivilege

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

pirvilege2pprivilege1priivlege2privielge2privileeg2privilegge1privilgee2privillege1
Edit distance from "privilege"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "privilege"?
"privilege" is spelled P-R-I-V-I-L-E-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹɪv.(ɪ.)lɪd͡ʒ/.
What does "privilege" mean?
As a noun, "privilege" means: An exemption from certain laws granted by the Pope.
What words are commonly confused with "privilege"?
"privilege" is commonly confused with "privileged", "privileges". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "privilege"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "privilege" is /ˈpɹɪv.(ɪ.)lɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "privilege"?
From Middle English privilege, from Anglo-Norman privilege and Old French privilege, from Latin prīvilēgium (“ordinance or law against or in favor of an individual”), from prīvus (“private”) + lēx, lēg- (“law”). 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 "privilege", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

proposals#5,157precisely#5,154pollution#5,153relatives#5,162

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

occupation13 variantsstriking13 variantsterrorists13 variantsJerusalem13 variants
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list