proclivity

/pɹəʊˈklɪvɪti/

//pɹəʊˈklɪvɪti// noun

"proclivity" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“proclivity” is uncommon English (frequency #60,397 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,397
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A predisposition or natural inclination, propensity, or a predilection; especially, a strong disposition or bent.

Corpus desk

Index EN-proclivity · proclivity · English

proclivity · rank #60,397 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,397
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH proboscis

Nearest frequency peer: proboscis (-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 “proclivity”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for proclivity
PropertyValue
Headwordproclivity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹəʊˈklɪvɪti/
Letters10
Frequency rank#60,397
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “proclivity” in English

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).proclivityfalls 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: “proboscis” (#60,396), “proprietorship” (#60,398), “probity” (#60,395). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “proclivity” is #60,397. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

proclivity is uncommon English at frequency #60,397 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /pɹəʊˈklɪvɪti/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A predisposition or natural inclination, propensity, or a predilection; especially, a strong disposition or bent.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for proclivity, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin prōclīvitās, from prōclīvis (“prone to”). The correct English form is proclivity, spelled P-R-O-C-L-I-V-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A predisposition or natural inclination, propensity, or a predilection; especially, a strong disposition or bent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The child has a proclivity for exaggeration.
  2. This therefore was the reason why the still comparatively young though dissolute man who now addressed Stephen was spoken of by some with facetious proclivities as Lord John Corley.

Etymology

From Latin prōclīvitās, from prōclīvis (“prone to”).

This word in other languages

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 "proclivity"?
"proclivity" is spelled P-R-O-C-L-I-V-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹəʊˈklɪvɪti/.
What does "proclivity" mean?
As a noun, "proclivity" means: A predisposition or natural inclination, propensity, or a predilection; especially, a strong disposition or bent.
How do you pronounce "proclivity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "proclivity" is /pɹəʊˈklɪvɪti/. 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 "proclivity"?
From Latin prōclīvitās, from prōclīvis (“prone to”). 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 "proclivity", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list