Master confusing words with ease
Precedence vs. Precedents
Precedence
/ˈpresədəns/Examples:
Ensure your tasks are in an order of precedence.Safety should always take precedence over speed.In some cultures, elders hold social precedence.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Precedents
Examples:
Historical precedents guide current legal decisions.The new policy sets important precedents for future cases.Cultural precedents influence modern social norms.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
- Precedence refers to priority or order of importance, remember it by associating with priority which also has an e.
- Precedents refers to previous examples or cases and shares the root with precede, meaning to come before.
- Think of precedence as guidelines with an e that establish what is important now, while precedents with a t are past events that guide future actions.
- Precedence is singular in concept, while precedents is usually pluralized because there are often many past examples.
- The ce in precedence can remind you of priority, whereas nt in precedents can remind you of event.
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