How to spell previous

hear itpre·vi·ous/'priviəs/adjectiveRules and real life

What it means: Just preceding something else in time or order.

In a sentence: I remember my previous birthday party; it was so much fun!

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear. Often misspelled as previus or prevous.

Same family: previously, prior, earlier, before, preceding. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Previous” comes from Latin *praevius*, meaning “going before,” from *prae* (before) and *via* (way, road). It’s related to the word “via,” so you can imagine something ‘previous’ as being further back on the road of time.

Patterns it uses: The unstressed vowel (schwa)

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

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