Price, Prise, and Prize

Price, Prise, and Prize

"Price," "prise," and "prize" are easy to confuse because of the inconsistency in English pronunciation.

• "Price" is the cost of something. For example:
• What is the price of that car?
("Price" rhymes with "rice.")
• "Prise" (usually "to prise open") is a British English variant spelling of "to prize open." ("Prise" is pronounced "prize.") For example:
• I used my hands to prise the dog's mouth open. () ()
• I used my hands to prize the dog's mouth open. () ()
("Prize" is also used in British English.)
• "Prize" is a reward given in recognition of an achievement. For example:
• The first prize in the competition was a week's holiday in California.

Click to hear how "price," "prise," and "prize" are pronounced:

More about "Price," "Prise," and "Prize"

Price

"Price" is most often used as a noun meaning the cost of something. However, it can also be used as a verb meaning to set the price.

Example sentences with "price":

• You get up at 5 am? That's a high price to pay for living in the country.
(In this example, "price" is a noun. Note that "price" does not always relate to money.)
• Do not price the car too highly.
(Here, "price" is a verb.)

Prise

"Prise" means to use force to move something, move something apart, or open something. It is a verb. "Prise" can also mean to use effort or force to obtain information from somebody. The spelling of the verb "to prise" only exists in British English. In American English, the verb is "to prize."

Example sentences with "prise":

• Most fishmongers use a short-bladed knife to prise open oysters. () ()
("Prise" is usually features in a phrasal verb, e.g., "to prise open," "to prise out.")
• Together, we prised the information from her. () ()

Prize

"Prize" is a reward given in recognition of an achievement. In this meaning, it is a noun. When "prize" is used as a verb, it is either a US spelling of "prise" (see above), or it means to highly value something or someone.

Example sentences with "prize":

• The worth of a prize depends on the people who have received it before you. (Spanish writer Antonio Munoz Molina)
(Here, "prize" is a noun.)
• Journalists prize independence not teamwork. (American writer Ken Auletta)
(Here, "prize" is a verb.)

You might also like...

Help us improve...