provisional

/pɹəˈvɪʒənəl/

//pɹəˈvɪʒənəl// adj

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

"provisional" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“provisional” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,948. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,948
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Temporary, but with the intention of eventually becoming permanent or being replaced by a permanent equivalent.

Corpus desk

Index EN-provisional · provisional · English

provisional · rank #11,948 · 16 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,948
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH proportions

Nearest frequency peer: proportions (-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 “provisional”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “provisional” 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).

provisional vs provisions
82% similar
provisional vs provisionally
85% similar
provisional vs provision
82% similar

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

Key facts for provisional
PropertyValue
Headwordprovisional
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/pɹəˈvɪʒənəl/
Letters11
Frequency rank#11,948
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “provisional”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).provisionallands 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 “proportions” (#11,947), “pronounce” (#11,946), “proceeding” (#11,945). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “provisional” is #11,948. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around provisional (IPA /pɹəˈvɪʒənəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #11,948 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Temporary, but with the intention of eventually becoming permanent or being replaced by a permanent equivalent.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for provisional, with forms such as "porvisional", "pprovisional", and "proivsional". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "provisions", "provisionally", "provision", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From provision + -al, or else from Middle French provisionnal (modern French provisionnel). Compare Latin prōvīsiōnālis. The correct English form is provisional, spelled P-R-O-V-I-S-I-O-N-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Temporary, but with the intention of eventually becoming permanent or being replaced by a permanent equivalent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Marsden and Jones were named in the provisional squad for the European Championships, to be confirmed before the 30 June deadline.
  2. The provisional date for the wedding is April 2, but it is subject to confirmation at the church.

Etymology

From provision + -al, or else from Middle French provisionnal (modern French provisionnel). Compare Latin prōvīsiōnālis.

Synonyms

provisionary

This word in other languages

provisional(Español)provisoire(Français)provisorisch(Deutsch)provisório(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • porvisional
  • pprovisional
  • proivsional
  • proviisonal
  • provisinoal
  • provisioanl
  • provisionall
  • provisionla
  • provisionnal
  • provisoinal
  • provissional
  • provsiional
  • provvisional
  • prrovisional
  • prvoisional
  • rpovisional

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

porvisional2pprovisional1proivsional2proviisonal2provisinoal2provisioanl2provisionall1provisionla2
Edit distance from "provisional"

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 "provisional"?
"provisional" is spelled P-R-O-V-I-S-I-O-N-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹəˈvɪʒənəl/.
What does "provisional" mean?
As an adjective, "provisional" means: Temporary, but with the intention of eventually becoming permanent or being replaced by a permanent equivalent.
What words are commonly confused with "provisional"?
"provisional" is commonly confused with "provisions", "provisionally", "provision". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "provisional"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "provisional" is /pɹəˈvɪʒənəl/. 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 "provisional"?
From provision + -al, or else from Middle French provisionnal (modern French provisionnel). Compare Latin prōvīsiōnālis. 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 "provisional", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

proportions#11,947pornography#11,941ineffective#11,902genetically#11,893

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

prevalence16 variantsmisconduct16 variantsdependence16 variantsdiscomfort16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list