Look-alike words

Premier vs. Premiere

Premier is an adjective meaning first in importance or best, and a noun for a head of government in some places. Premiere is a noun for the first public showing of a film or play, and a verb meaning to show it first.

Word	Part of speech	Meaning
premier	adjective	first in importance, rank or quality; leading
premier	noun	the head of government in some countries, or of a province or state
premiere	noun	the first public performance or showing of a movie, play or show
premiere	verb	to show or perform something to the public for the first time

Premier

adjective: first in importance, rank or quality; leading

This is the region's premier event for young chefs.
The hotel is known as the city's premier place for weddings.

noun: the head of government in some countries, or of a province or state

In Canada, each province is led by a premier.
The premier of the province opened the new bridge.

Premiere

noun: the first public performance or showing of a movie, play or show

The cast walked the red carpet at the movie premiere.
Tickets for the opening night premiere sold out in minutes.

verb: to show or perform something to the public for the first time

The new cooking show premieres next Tuesday.
The school play premiered to a packed gym.

How to remember the difference

Premiere has an extra E at the end, for entertainment: it is the first showing. Premier, without it, means first in rank.

Good to know

In American English the two words often sound alike (prih-MEER). Premiere comes from French, and the accent mark it carries there is usually dropped in English.

Spot the mistake

We got tickets to the film's world ~~premier.~~ premiere.
Correct: We got tickets to the film's world premiere.
She is the country's ~~premiere~~ premier expert on bees.
Correct: She is the country's premier expert on bees.

Check yourself

Pick the word that fits each sentence.

1. The band's new music video will on Friday night.

2. This resort is the state's destination for skiing.