provisory
pro·vi·so·ry/pɹəˈvaɪzəɹi/adjective, noun
provisory is spelled P-R-O-V-I-S-O-R-Y: 9 letters and 4 syllables (pro·vi·so·ry). It appears about once in every 89 million words in written English, the 301,415th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, provisory means “Temporary; pending something more permanent” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in provisory?
| Letters | 9: P-R-O-V-I-S-O-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: pro·vi·so·ry |
| In writing | about once in every 89 million words; the 301,415th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is provisory?
Provisory appears about once in every 89 million words in written English, the 301,415th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce provisory?
- /pɹəˈvaɪzəɹi/
Provisory has 4 syllables, split pro·vi·so·ry in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of provisory
- more provisory comparative
- most provisory superlative
- provisories plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does provisory mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Temporary; pending something more permanent.
- 2
Containing a proviso or condition.
The provisory clause effectively excluded his otherwise logical heirs from his main inheritance.
- 3
Dependent on a proviso or condition.
A provisory guarantee is rather like blackmail.
noun
- 1
Synonym of provisional.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Provisory in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense pending something more permanent:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | provisoire |
| German | provisorisch |
| Portuguese | provisório |
| Spanish | provisorio |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does provisory come from?
From Medieval Latin provisorius, from provis- (supine stem of provideo) + -orius (“-ory”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).