Premiere, with an e at the end, refers to the first public performance of something, such as a movie or play. It can be a noun or a verb—for example, a movie premieres at its premiere. Premier, without the e, is an adjective meaning first in status or a noun denoting a prime minister.
Examples
Premiere is easy to remember because it always has to do with debut performances—for example:
Idol drew 20.7 million viewers in the first hour against the season premiere of Survivor, which pulled 11.2 million. [USA Today]
For many of us an opportunity to walk the red carpet at a movie premiere would be unmissable. [Daily Mail]
And premier is easy to remember because it’s the correct word in all uses not having to do with debut performances. For example, these writers use premier well:
During their conversation, Mr Mubarak confided to the reformist Kenyan premier that he intended to stand for a sixth term this year. [Financial Times]
But over the last few years, coffee yields have plummeted here and in many of Latin America’s other premier coffee regions … [New York Times]
Last month, his powerful Right faction forced him to stand down as treasurer and deputy premier, but he remains on the front bench. [The Australian]
