Premier vs Premiere: Which One Do You Need?
Premier means first or leading, and names a head of government. A premiere is a first performance.
The country’s premier institution. The film’s premiere.
The test that settles it
The extra e is for the event. Openings, screenings and first nights all take premiere.
“the ___ league” → leading, so premier.
“attended the ___” → the event, so premiere.
Premier: first, leading, or a head of government
An adjective meaning foremost, and a noun for a prime minister or the leader of a state or province.
The premier research centre in Europe.
The Canadian premier spoke.
A premier destination.
Swap in leading. If it works, premier.
Premiere: a first performance
The first public showing of a film, play or piece of music, and the verb for giving one. From the French feminine form.
The world premiere is in Venice.
The series premieres on Sunday.
She wore green to the premiere.
Is it an opening night? Then premiere.
Side by side
| Premier | Premiere |
|---|---|
| First, leading | A first performance |
| Adjective and noun | Noun and verb |
| No final e | Final e |
| Premier position | Film premiere |
The exceptions
The show premieres tonight is now standard, though some editors still prefer opens or is first shown. The verb dates from the 1930s and is not going away.
French writes première. English has almost entirely dropped the grave accent, so the plain spelling is correct.
Where people get it wrong
| Incorrect | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| the premiere league | the premier league | Leading. |
| the opening premier | the opening premiere | The event. |
| a premiere example of the style | a prime example of the style | Neither word means best here. |
| The Premiere of Ontario | The Premier of Ontario | The office. |
Practice — choose the right word, then check yourself.
- It is the ___ supplier in the region.
- Tickets to the ___ sold out.
- The drama ___ next month.
- She served as ___ for six years.
- A gala ___ was held in Cannes.
Show the answers
1. premier 2. premiere 3. premieres 4. premier 5. premiere
Frequently asked
Which is more common in error?
Adding the e to the adjective — premiere quality. The adjective never takes it.
Is Premier League capitalised?
Yes when naming the English football competition, because it is a proper name.
More words people confuse
