How to spell precious

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.

The part people get wrong

Often misspelled as precius or preciouse.

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

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Words like this

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

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