procure

/pɹəˈkjʊə/

//pɹəˈkjʊə// verb

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

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

The verdict

“procure” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #23,639 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#23,639
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To acquire or obtain.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

procure vs produce
71% similar
procure vs procured
88% similar
procure vs procedure
78% similar

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

Key facts for procure
PropertyValue
Headwordprocure
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pɹəˈkjʊə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#23,639
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “procure” 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). procure 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 procure is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pɹəˈkjʊə/. Corpus data places it at rank #23,639 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for procure, with forms such as "porcure", "pprocure", and "prcoure". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "produce", "procured", "procedure", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English procuren, from Old French procurer, from Late Latin prōcūrāre (“to manage, administer”), from prō (“on behalf of”) + cūrō (“to care for”). The correct English form is procure, spelled P-R-O-C-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To acquire or obtain.
  2. 2
    To obtain a person as a prostitute for somebody else.
  3. 3
    To induce or persuade someone to do something.
  4. 4
    To contrive; to bring about; to effect; to cause.
  5. 5
    To solicit; to entreat.
  6. 6
    To cause to come; to bring; to attract.

Etymology

From Middle English procuren, from Old French procurer, from Late Latin prōcūrāre (“to manage, administer”), from prō (“on behalf of”) + cūrō (“to care for”).

This word in other languages

procurar(Español)acquérir(Français)beschaffen(Deutsch)obter(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: porcure,pprocure,prcoure,proccure,procrue,procuer,procurre,proucre,prrocure,rpocure

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

porcure2pprocure1prcoure2proccure1procrue2procuer2procurre1proucre2
Edit distance from "procure"

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 "procure"?
"procure" is spelled P-R-O-C-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹəˈkjʊə/.
What does "procure" mean?
As a verb, "procure" means: To acquire or obtain.
What words are commonly confused with "procure"?
"procure" is commonly confused with "produce", "procured", "procedure". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "procure"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "procure" is /pɹəˈkjʊə/. 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 "procure"?
From Middle English procuren, from Old French procurer, from Late Latin prōcūrāre (“to manage, administer”), from prō (“on behalf of”) + cūrō (“to care for”). 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.

Using “procure”

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

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