Which to use
“premier” is an adjective and “prier” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #145
- “premier” frequency rank
- #6,009
- “prier” frequency rank
- 6154
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | premier | prier |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Adjectif numéral ordinal correspondant au nombre 1. | Adorer la divinité en lui demandant une grâce, en la remerciant d’une grâce. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set premier and prier apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: premier is \pʁə.mje\ while prier is \pʁi.je\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6154, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
premier is recorded at frequency rank #145, classified as anadj, pronounced \pʁə.mje\. prier is at rank #6,009, tagged as averb, pronounced \pʁi.je\.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 6154, this pair ranks #427,029 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of premier vs prier
Shared letters: eipr. Private to "premier": m. Private to "prier": -.
"premier" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVVC · "prier" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "premier" and "prier" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "premier" or "prier"?
Remembering premier vs prier
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “premier”; for a verb, it's “prier”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “premier” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable