pricked

/pɹɪkt/

//pɹɪkt// adj

"pricked" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pricked” is uncommon English (frequency #50,738 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,738
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Punctured by small holes.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pricked · pricked · English

pricked · rank #50,738 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #50,738
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH prepositions

Nearest frequency peer: prepositions (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “pricked”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “pricked” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for pricked
PropertyValue
Headwordpricked
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/pɹɪkt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#50,738
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “pricked” in English

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).prickedfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “prepositions” (#50,737), “privateer” (#50,739), “Prendergast” (#50,736). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pricked” is #50,738. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

pricked is uncommon English at frequency #50,738 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /pɹɪkt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for pricked, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is pricked, spelled P-R-I-C-K-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Punctured by small holes.
  2. 2
    Listening carefully.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The room was quite dark. The oblong window showed the night sky pricked here and there with stars.
  2. Make sure to keep your ears pricked and your eyes peeled.

Synonyms

piercedpunctured

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 "pricked"?
"pricked" is spelled P-R-I-C-K-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹɪkt/.
What does "pricked" mean?
As an adjective, "pricked" means: Punctured by small holes.
How do you pronounce "pricked"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pricked" is /pɹɪkt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pricked" come from?
"pricked" is a English 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list