prima

\pʁi.ma\

/\pʁi.ma\/ adv

The verdict

“prima” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #27,578 in French word frequency and used as an adverb.

#27,578
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Variante de alla prima.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

prima vs prix
60% similar
prima vs pris
60% similar
prima vs puma
60% similar

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

Key facts for prima
PropertyValue
Headwordprima
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\pʁi.ma\
Letters5
Frequency rank#27,578
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “prima” 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). prima 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 prima is 5 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pʁi.ma\. Corpus data places it at rank #27,578 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Variante de alla prima.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for prima, with forms such as "pirma", "pprima", and "priam". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "prix", "pris", "puma", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is prima, spelled P-R-I-M-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Variante de alla prima.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: pirma,pprima,priam,primma,prmia,prrima,rpima

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

pirma2pprima1priam2primma1prmia2prrima1rpima2
Edit distance from "prima"

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 "prima"?
"prima" is spelled P-R-I-M-A. The IPA pronunciation is \pʁi.ma\.
What does "prima" mean?
As an adverb, "prima" means: Variante de alla prima.
What words are commonly confused with "prima"?
"prima" is commonly confused with "prix", "pris", "puma". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "prima"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prima" is \pʁi.ma\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "prima" come from?
"prima" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “prima”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-R-I-M-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pʁi.ma\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “prix” - see the side-by-side comparison. prima vs prix
  • 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