prone

[…]

/[…]/ adj

The verdict

“prone” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - auf dem Bauch ausgestreckt liegend, mit dem Gesicht nach unten: bäuchlings

Corpus desk

Index DE-prone · prone · German

prone · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for prone
PropertyValue
Headwordprone
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[…]
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „prone“ im Deutschen

proneliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

prone is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed […]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for prone in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is prone, spelled P-R-O-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    auf dem Bauch ausgestreckt liegend, mit dem Gesicht nach unten: bäuchlings
  2. 2
    auf dem Bauch ausgestreckt liegend, mit dem Gesicht nach unten: bäuchlings
  3. 3
    eine Veranlagung oder Neigung zu etwas haben, meist im Sinn einer Schwäche oder etwas Unerwünschtem: anfällig (für)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how prone appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. John was lying prone on the floor.
  2. She's prone to headaches.

Synonyms

prostrateinclinedtendingliablesubject

Antonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "prone"?
"prone" is spelled P-R-O-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is […].
What does "prone" mean?
As an adjective, "prone" means: auf dem Bauch ausgestreckt liegend, mit dem Gesicht nach unten: bäuchlings
How do you pronounce "prone"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prone" is […]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "prone" come from?
"prone" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list