prig
/pɹɪɡ/noun, verb
prig is spelled P-R-I-G: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 13 million words in written English, the 106,501st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, prig means “A deliberately superior person; a person who demonstrates an exaggerated conformity or propriety, especially in an irritatingly arrogant or smug…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of prig is prigs.
How many letters and syllables are in prig?
| Letters | 4: P-R-I-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 13 million words; the 106,501st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is prig?
Prig appears about once in every 13 million words in written English, the 106,501st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce prig?
- /pɹɪɡ/
Prig has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-prig.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with prig?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as prig.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: grip.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of prig
- prigs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- prigging participle, present
- prigged participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does prig mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A deliberately superior person; a person who demonstrates an exaggerated conformity or propriety, especially in an irritatingly arrogant or smug manner.
- 2
archaicA conceited dandy; a fop.
- 3
IrelandUKarchaicA tinker.
- 4
IrelandUKarchaicA petty thief or pickpocket.
verb
- 1
archaicslangTo filch or steal.
to prig a handkerchief
- 2
To ride.
- 3
obsoleteTo copulate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Prig in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a person showing exaggerated conformity:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | bégueule |
| German | Tugendbold, Musterknabe |
| Spanish | meapilas |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does prig come from?
UK 16th century. Of unknown origin. Earlier noun senses ("tinker" and "thief"), as hyponyms of "undesirable person", may have informed later senses ("conceited person").
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).