pricks

/pɹɪks/

//pɹɪks// noun

"pricks" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pricks” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #27,975 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#27,975
frequency rank, English
6
letters
10
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - plural of prick

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

pricks vs Prius
50% similar
pricks vs prints
67% similar
pricks vs prizes
67% similar

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

Key facts for pricks
PropertyValue
Headwordpricks
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹɪks/
Letters6
Frequency rank#27,975
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pricks” sits in English 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). pricks 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 English entry for pricks is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pɹɪks/. Corpus data places it at rank #27,975 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "plural of prick".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for pricks, with forms such as "pircks", "ppricks", and "prciks". 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 18 confusable-pair relationships, "Prius", "prints", "prizes", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct English form is pricks, spelled P-R-I-C-K-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    plural of prick

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: pircks,ppricks,prciks,priccks,prickks,prickss,pricsk,prikcs,prricks,rpicks

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pricks - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

pircks2ppricks1prciks2priccks1prickks1prickss1pricsk2prikcs2
Edit distance from "pricks"

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 "pricks"?
"pricks" is spelled P-R-I-C-K-S. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹɪks/.
What does "pricks" mean?
As a noun, "pricks" means: plural of prick
What words are commonly confused with "pricks"?
"pricks" is commonly confused with "Prius", "prints", "prizes". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pricks"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pricks" is /pɹɪks/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pricks" come from?
"pricks" is a English 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.

Using “pricks”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-R-I-C-K-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /pɹɪks/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Prius” - see the side-by-side comparison. pricks vs Prius
  • 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.

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

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