prick

/pɹɪk/

//pɹɪk// noun

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

"prick" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“prick” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,043. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,043
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small hole or perforation, caused by piercing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-prick · prick · English

prick · rank #13,043 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,043
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH presbyterian

Nearest frequency peer: presbyterian (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “prick”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “prick” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

prick vs puck
60% similar
prick vs proc
60% similar
prick vs prim
60% similar

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

Key facts for prick
PropertyValue
Headwordprick
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹɪk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#13,043
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “prick”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).pricklands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “presbyterian” (#13,042), “prolific” (#13,044), “pres” (#13,041). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “prick” is #13,043. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around prick (IPA /pɹɪk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,043 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 13 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for prick, with forms such as "pirck", "pprick", and "prcik". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "puck", "proc", "prim", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English prik, prikke, from Old English prica, pricu (“a sharp point, minute mark, spot, dot, small portion, prick”), from Proto-West Germanic *prikō, *priku, from Proto-Germanic *prikô, *prikō (“a prick, point”), of uncertain origin, perhaps fro… The correct English form is prick, spelled P-R-I-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small hole or perforation, caused by piercing.
  2. 2
    An indentation or small mark made with a pointed object.
  3. 3
    A dot or other diacritical mark used in writing; a point.
  4. 4
    A tiny particle; a small amount of something; a jot.
  5. 5
    A small pointed object.
  6. 6
    The experience or feeling of being pierced or punctured by a small, sharp object.
  7. 7
    A feeling of remorse.
  8. 8
    The penis.
  9. 9
    Someone (especially a male) who is unpleasant, rude or annoying.
  10. 10
    A small roll of yarn or tobacco.
  11. 11
    The footprint of a hare.
  12. 12
    A point or mark on the dial, noting the hour.
  13. 13
    The point on a target at which an archer aims; the mark; the pin.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Pins, wooden pricks, nails, sprigs of rosemary.
  2. It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Etymology

From Middle English prik, prikke, from Old English prica, pricu (“a sharp point, minute mark, spot, dot, small portion, prick”), from Proto-West Germanic *prikō, *priku, from Proto-Germanic *prikô, *prikō (“a prick, point”), of uncertain origin, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *breyǵ- (“to scrape, scratch, rub, prickle, chap”). Cognate with West Frisian prik (“small hole”), West Frisian prikke (“penis”), Dutch prik (“point, small stick", also "penis”), Danish prik (“dot”), Icelandic prik (“dot, small stick”).

This word in other languages

astilla(Español)bite(Français)Dorn(Deutsch)farpa(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pirck
  • pprick
  • prcik
  • pricck
  • prickk
  • prikc
  • prrick
  • rpick

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of prick - 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.

pirck2pprick1prcik2pricck1prickk1prikc2prrick1rpick2
Edit distance from "prick"

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 "prick"?
"prick" is spelled P-R-I-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹɪk/.
What does "prick" mean?
As a noun, "prick" means: A small hole or perforation, caused by piercing.
What words are commonly confused with "prick"?
"prick" is commonly confused with "puck", "proc", "prim". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "prick"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prick" is /pɹɪk/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "prick"?
From Middle English prik, prikke, from Old English prica, pricu (“a sharp point, minute mark, spot, dot, small portion, prick”), from Proto-West Germanic *prikō, *priku, from Proto-Germanic *prikô, *prikō (“a prick, point”), of uncertain origin, p... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "prick", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Sammy#13,053muddy#13,022mound#13,021tents#13,070

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

stared8 variantsmeadow8 variantsweaver8 variantsYankee8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list