Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pre-

/pɹɛ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.95 in modern English

Syllables
pre-
IPA
/pɹɛ/
5
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
2
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

prefix

Before; physically in front of.

prefix

Before; physically in front of.

prefix

Before; earlier in time; beforehand.

Etymology

From Middle English pre-, borrowed from Latin prae-, from the preposition prae (“before”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /pɹɛ/
  • British English: /pɹɛ/

Inflected Forms

prae- (alternative, archaic) præ- (alternative, archaic) p͛- (alternative)

Derived Forms

precocious precognition predate prefix preheat premonition preposition prequel presage preview previous

Phrases

pré- pre-existing pre-op pre-operative pre-war

Frequently Paired Words

fore pre

Synonyms

anterior ante- fore-

Antonyms

post- after-

Questions

How do you pronounce pre-?
The recorded pronunciation is /pɹɛ/.
What does pre- mean?
Before; physically in front of.
Where does pre- come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce pre-

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “pre-”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/pɹɛ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “pre-”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “pre-” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.