Word Choice: Premier vs. Premiere

Words with similar spellings and pronunciations, like ‘premier’ and ‘premiere’, can be confusing. So here at Proofed, we do our best to help you get things right. Check out our tips to avoid errors in your writing.

Premier (First in Status)

The more common of these two words is ‘premier’. It is typically used as an adjective to describe something or someone that is ‘first in status or importance’:

Jimmy was the premier chess player in his school.

‘Premier’ can also be used as a noun to describe a prime minister, which is easy to remember since that role is the ‘premier’ position in our government:

The Italian premier has vowed to tackle corruption.

In either case, though, ‘premier’ usually implies importance or status.

Premiere (A First Performance)

While also linked to something being ‘first’, ‘premiere’ is usually a noun meaning the first public performance of something, such as a play or film:

I am so jealous that you have tickets to the premiere of the new Scorsese film!

You can also use ‘premiere’ as a verb to describe the first time something is shown to the public:

Microsoft will premiere the latest version of Windows this evening.

But in both cases, the meaning is related to something being debuted or shown for the first time. It’s just a case of whether you’re describing a thing or an action.

Premier or Premiere?

The correct word to use here will often depend on context. Are you describing the leading example of something (i.e. the first in status or importance)? If so, ‘premier’ is correct.

Or are you describing the first time something occurs? If so, ‘premiere’ is the word you need. Remember:

Premier = First in status

Premiere = First performance

Naturally, it’s easy to overlook minor spelling differences like this when writing. So make sure to proofread carefully before submitting your work!