Professor

[pʁoˈfɛsoːɐ̯]

/[pʁoˈfɛsoːɐ̯]/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“Professor” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #1,566 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,566
frequency rank, German
9
letters
13
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Forscher und Lehrer an einer wissenschaftlichen Hochschule; Professoren können auch in leitenden Funktionen in Behörden mit Forschungseinrichtung oder außeruniversitären Forschungsorganisationen ar...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Professor vs Prozessor
89% similar
Professor vs Professur
89% similar
Professor vs Professors
90% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Professor
PropertyValue
HeadwordProfessor
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[pʁoˈfɛsoːɐ̯]
Letters9
Frequency rank#1,566
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Professor” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Professor lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Professor is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [pʁoˈfɛsoːɐ̯]. Corpus data places it at rank #1,566 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for Professor, with forms such as "porfessor", "pprofessor", and "prfoessor". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "Prozessor", "Professur", "Professors", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is Professor, spelled P-R-O-F-E-S-S-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Forscher und Lehrer an einer wissenschaftlichen Hochschule; Professoren können auch in leitenden Funktionen in Behörden mit Forschungseinrichtung oder außeruniversitären Forschungsorganisationen arbeiten
  2. 2
    Titel der Gymnasiallehrer in Österreich, auch (wie in Baden-Württemberg) ehrenhalber verliehen

Synonyms

Hochschullehrer

Antonyms

Privatdozent

This word in other languages

professor(English)profesor(Español)professeur(Français)professor(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: porfessor,pprofessor,prfoessor,proefssor,profesor,profesosr,professorr,professro,profeßor,proffessor,profsesor,prrofessor,rpofessor

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Professor - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

porfessor2pprofessor1prfoessor2proefssor2profesor1profesosr2professorr1professro2
Edit distance from "Professor"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Professor"?
"Professor" is spelled P-R-O-F-E-S-S-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is [pʁoˈfɛsoːɐ̯].
What does "Professor" mean?
As a noun, "Professor" means: Forscher und Lehrer an einer wissenschaftlichen Hochschule; Professoren können auch in leitenden Funktionen in Behörden mit Forschungseinrichtung oder außeruniversitären Forschungsorganisationen ar...
What words are commonly confused with "Professor"?
"Professor" is commonly confused with "Prozessor", "Professur", "Professors". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Professor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Professor" is [pʁoˈfɛsoːɐ̯]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Professor" come from?
"Professor" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “Professor”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is P-R-O-F-E-S-S-O-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [pʁoˈfɛsoːɐ̯] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Prozessor” - see the side-by-side comparison. Professor vs Prozessor
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list