# privy

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈpɹɪvi/ · frequency rank #15,890

## Definitions
1. Private, exclusive; not public; one's own.
2. Secret, hidden, concealed.
3. With knowledge of; party to; let in on.

## Etymology
From Middle English pryvy, prive, from Old French privé (“private”), from Latin prīvātus (“deprived”), perfect passive participle of prīvō (“I bereave, deprive; I free, release”). Doublet of private.

## Easily confused with
- **pry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/privy-vs-pry)
- **prove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/privy-vs-prove)
- **prize** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/privy-vs-prize)
- **proxy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/privy-vs-proxy)
- **Priya** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/privy-vs-priya)
- **Provo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/privy-vs-provo)
- **purity** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/privy-vs-purity)
- **purify** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/privy-vs-purify)
- **pray** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pray-vs-privy)
- **pity** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pity-vs-privy)
- **prey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prey-vs-privy)
- **prim** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prim-vs-privy)
- **price** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/price-vs-privy)
- **prior** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prior-vs-privy)
- **prime** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-privy)
- **print** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/print-vs-privy)
- **pride** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pride-vs-privy)
- **prick** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prick-vs-privy)
- **prism** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prism-vs-privy)
- **prima** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prima-vs-privy)

## Common misspellings (8)
`pirvy`, `pprivy`, `privvy`, `privyy`, `priyv`, `prrivy`, `prviy`, `rpivy`

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