apropos
/ˌæp.ɹəˈpəʊ/
"apropos" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“apropos” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #42,002 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #42,002
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of an appropriate or pertinent nature.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | apropos |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˌæp.ɹəˈpəʊ/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #42,002 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “apropos” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for apropos is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌæp.ɹəˈpəʊ/. Corpus data places it at rank #42,002 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for apropos, with forms such as "aporpos", "appropos", and "aproops". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "aprons", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French à propos (“on that subject”). Similar in meaning and form, and to some extent etymology, to appropriate, but not a doublet of it. The correct English form is apropos, spelled A-P-R-O-P-O-S.
Definition
- 1Of an appropriate or pertinent nature.
- 2By the way, incidental.
Etymology
Borrowed from French à propos (“on that subject”). Similar in meaning and form, and to some extent etymology, to appropriate, but not a doublet of it.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: aporpos,appropos,aproops,aproposs,aproppos,apropso,aprpoos,aprropos,arpopos,paropos
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of apropos - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "apropos"?
What does "apropos" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "apropos"?
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Using “apropos”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-P-R-O-P-O-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌæp.ɹəˈpəʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “aprons” - see the side-by-side comparison. apropos vs aprons
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English 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.