préfecture

\pʁe.fɛk.tyʁ\

/\pʁe.fɛk.tyʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“préfecture” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #3,706 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,706
frequency rank, French
10
letters
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Nom de plusieurs charges principales dans l’Empire romain.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

préfecture vs préfectures
91% similar

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

Key facts for préfecture
PropertyValue
Headwordpréfecture
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pʁe.fɛk.tyʁ\
Letters10
Frequency rank#3,706
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “préfecture” sits in French 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). préfecture lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for préfecture is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pʁe.fɛk.tyʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #3,706 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for préfecture, with forms such as "ppréfecture", "prefecture", and "prféecture". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "préfectures", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is préfecture, spelled P-R-É-F-E-C-T-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Nom de plusieurs charges principales dans l’Empire romain.
  2. 2
    Charge de l’administrateur de département appelé préfet, dans l’organisation administrative actuelle de la France.
  3. 3
    Administration préfectorale.
  4. 4
    Durée des fonctions d’un préfet.
  5. 5
    Étendue de territoire qu’administre un préfet.
  6. 6
    Ville où réside un préfet ; chef-lieu de département.
  7. 7
    Maison, hôtel où demeure le préfet et où sont placés ses bureaux.
  8. 8
    Préfecture de police.
  9. 9
    Une des 47 subdivisions administratives au premier niveau du Japon, chacun ayant un gouverneur et une assemblée.

Synonyms

départementhôtel du département

This word in other languages

prefecture(English)prefectura(Español)Präfektur(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ppréfecture,prefecture,prféecture,prréfecture,préefcture,préfceture,préfeccture,préfectrue,préfectture,préfectuer,préfecturre,préfecutre,préfetcure,préffecture,pérfecture,rpéfecture

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of préfecture - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ppréfecture1prefecture1prféecture2prréfecture1préefcture2préfceture2préfeccture1préfectrue2
Edit distance from "préfecture"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "préfecture"?
"préfecture" is spelled P-R-É-F-E-C-T-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is \pʁe.fɛk.tyʁ\.
What does "préfecture" mean?
As a noun, "préfecture" means: Nom de plusieurs charges principales dans l’Empire romain.
What words are commonly confused with "préfecture"?
"préfecture" is commonly confused with "préfectures". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "préfecture"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "préfecture" is \pʁe.fɛk.tyʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "préfecture" come from?
"préfecture" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Using “préfecture”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is P-R-É-F-E-C-T-U-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pʁe.fɛk.tyʁ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “préfectures” - see the side-by-side comparison. préfecture vs préfectures
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list