How to spell precious

Precious is spelled P-R-E-C-I-O-U-S.

hear itpre·cious/'prɛʃəs/adjectiveSchwa and roots

What it means: Having great value or worth.

In a sentence: The jewel is as precious as gold.

Same family: preciously, preciousness, pretentious, affected, artificial. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Precious” comes from Old French *precieux* and Latin *pretiosus*, meaning “costly” or “of great value.” Over time, English added a figurative sense describing behavior or style that seems overly cute, refined, or self-consciously charming—like it’s trying too hard to be ‘valuable’ or special.

Try spelling it

You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

Words like this

ambitious · cautious · ingenious · envious · industrious · mysterious · generous · religious

Everyone has words they always get wrong. Spelling.School finds yours, shows you exactly why you miss them, and uses spaced repetition until you spell them right every time. Five minutes a day. Try five words without signing up.