provision

/pɹəˈvɪʒ.ən/

//pɹəˈvɪʒ.ən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“provision” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,727. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,727
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An item of goods or supplies, especially food, obtained for future use.

Corpus desk

Index EN-provision · provision · English

provision · rank #5,727 · 14 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,727
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH plug

Nearest frequency peer: plug (-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 “provision”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “provision” 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).

provision vs proviso
78% similar
provision vs provisions
90% similar
provision vs provisional
82% similar

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

Key facts for provision
PropertyValue
Headwordprovision
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹəˈvɪʒ.ən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#5,727
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “provision”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).provisionlands 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 “plug” (#5,726), “releasing” (#5,728), “pile” (#5,725). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “provision” is #5,727. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around provision (IPA /pɹəˈvɪʒ.ən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,727 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for provision, with forms such as "porvision", "pprovision", and "proivsion". 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, "proviso", "provisions", "provisional", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English provisioun, from Old French provisïon, from Latin prōvīsiō (“preparation, foresight”), from prōvidēre (“provide”). The correct English form is provision, spelled P-R-O-V-I-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An item of goods or supplies, especially food, obtained for future use.
  2. 2
    The act of providing, or making previous preparation.
  3. 3
    Money set aside for a future event.
  4. 4
    A liability or contra account to recognise likely future adverse events associated with current transactions.
  5. 5
    A clause in a legal instrument, a law, etc., providing for a particular matter; stipulation; proviso.
  6. 6
    Regular induction into a benefice, comprehending nomination, collation, and installation.
  7. 7
    A nomination by the pope to a benefice before it became vacant, depriving the patron of his right of presentation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [H]e hath preſerued all points of Humanity, in taking Order, and making Proviſion for the Releefe of Strangers diſtreſſed; whereof you have taſted.
  2. [Noah] Began to build a Veſſel of huge bulk, / Meaſur'd by Cubit, length, and breadth, and highth, / Smeared round with Pitch, and in the ſide a dore, / Contriv'd, and of proviſions laid in large / For Man and Beaſt: [...]

Etymology

From Middle English provisioun, from Old French provisïon, from Latin prōvīsiō (“preparation, foresight”), from prōvidēre (“provide”).

This word in other languages

provisión(Español)provision(Français)Vorräte(Deutsch)provisão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • porvision
  • pprovision
  • proivsion
  • proviison
  • provisino
  • provisionn
  • provisoin
  • provission
  • provition
  • provsiion
  • provvision
  • prrovision
  • prvoision
  • rpovision

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of provision - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

porvision2pprovision1proivsion2proviison2provisino2provisionn1provisoin2provission1
Edit distance from "provision"

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 "provision"?
"provision" is spelled P-R-O-V-I-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹəˈvɪʒ.ən/.
What does "provision" mean?
As a noun, "provision" means: An item of goods or supplies, especially food, obtained for future use.
What words are commonly confused with "provision"?
"provision" is commonly confused with "proviso", "provisions", "provisional". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "provision"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "provision" is /pɹəˈvɪʒ.ən/. 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 "provision"?
From Middle English provisioun, from Old French provisïon, from Latin prōvīsiō (“preparation, foresight”), from prōvidēre (“provide”). 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 "provision", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

releasing#5,728requiring#5,729northwest#5,717strangers#5,737

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

migration14 variantsaccordance14 variantsinventory14 variantsintensity14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list