proclaim

/pɹəʊˈkleɪm/

//pɹəʊˈkleɪm// verb

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

"proclaim" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“proclaim” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,467. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,467
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To announce or declare.

Corpus desk

Index EN-proclaim · proclaim · English

proclaim · rank #20,467 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #20,467
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH privatization

Nearest frequency peer: privatization (-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 “proclaim”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “proclaim” 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).

proclaim vs proclaimed
80% similar

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

Key facts for proclaim
PropertyValue
Headwordproclaim
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pɹəʊˈkleɪm/
Letters8
Frequency rank#20,467
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “proclaim”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).proclaimlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “privatization” (#20,466), “quaint” (#20,468), “pretext” (#20,465). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “proclaim” is #20,467. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around proclaim (IPA /pɹəʊˈkleɪm/), averb. Corpus frequency is #20,467 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for proclaim, with forms such as "porclaim", "pproclaim", and "prcolaim". 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, "proclaimed", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English proclamen, proclaime, from Old French proclamer, from Latin prōclāmō, prōclāmāre, from prō- (“forth”) + clāmō (“to shout, cry out”). Spelling altered by influence of claim, from the same Latin source (clāmō). The correct English form is proclaim, spelled P-R-O-C-L-A-I-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    To announce or declare.
  2. 2
    To make (something) the subject of an official proclamation bringing it within the scope of emergency powers.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke.[…]A silver snaffle on a heavy leather watch guard which connected the pockets of his corduroy waistcoat, together with a huge gold stirrup in his Ascot tie, sufficiently proclaimed his tastes.
  2. You have seen it for yourselves in the play by Aristophanes, where Socrates goes whirling round, proclaiming that he is walking on air, and uttering a great deal of other nonsense about things of which I know nothing whatsoever.

Etymology

From Middle English proclamen, proclaime, from Old French proclamer, from Latin prōclāmō, prōclāmāre, from prō- (“forth”) + clāmō (“to shout, cry out”). Spelling altered by influence of claim, from the same Latin source (clāmō).

Synonyms

disclosemake known

This word in other languages

proclamar(Español)proclamer(Français)verkünden(Deutsch)proclamar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • porclaim
  • pproclaim
  • prcolaim
  • procalim
  • procclaim
  • proclaimm
  • proclami
  • procliam
  • procllaim
  • prolcaim
  • prroclaim
  • rpoclaim

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

porclaim2pproclaim1prcolaim2procalim2procclaim1proclaimm1proclami2procliam2
Edit distance from "proclaim"

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 "proclaim"?
"proclaim" is spelled P-R-O-C-L-A-I-M. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹəʊˈkleɪm/.
What does "proclaim" mean?
As a verb, "proclaim" means: To announce or declare.
What words are commonly confused with "proclaim"?
"proclaim" is commonly confused with "proclaimed". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "proclaim"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "proclaim" is /pɹəʊˈkleɪm/. 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 "proclaim"?
From Middle English proclamen, proclaime, from Old French proclamer, from Latin prōclāmō, prōclāmāre, from prō- (“forth”) + clāmō (“to shout, cry out”). Spelling altered by influence of claim, from the same Latin source (clāmō). 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 "proclaim", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

poignant#20,460restrain#20,477pendulum#20,455outweigh#20,451

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

secession12 variantsnighttime12 variantsmusically12 variantsmonologue12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list