prodigal

/ˈpɹɒdɪɡəl/

//ˈpɹɒdɪɡəl// adj

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

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

The verdict

“prodigal” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,135. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,135
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Wastefully extravagant.

Corpus desk

Index EN-prodigal · prodigal · English

prodigal · rank #32,135 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #32,135
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH procuring

Nearest frequency peer: procuring (-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 “prodigal”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “prodigal” 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).

prodigal vs prodigy
75% similar
prodigal vs proximal
75% similar

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

Key facts for prodigal
PropertyValue
Headwordprodigal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈpɹɒdɪɡəl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#32,135
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “prodigal” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).prodigallands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “procuring” (#32,134), “prodigious” (#32,136), “Priya” (#32,133). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around prodigal (IPA /ˈpɹɒdɪɡəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #32,135 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for prodigal, with forms such as "pordigal", "pprodigal", and "prdoigal". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "prodigy", "proximal", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French prodigal, from Late Latin prōdigālis (“wasteful”), from Latin prōdigus (“wasteful, lavish, prodigal”), from prōdigō (“to consume, squander, drive forth”), from prōd- [from prō (“before, forward”)] + agō (“to drive”). Also see prodigy. The correct English form is prodigal, spelled P-R-O-D-I-G-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Wastefully extravagant.
  2. 2
    Yielding profusely, lavish.
  3. 3
    Profuse, lavishly abundant.
  4. 4
    Behaving as a prodigal son:
  5. 5
    Behaving as a prodigal son:

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He found himself guilty of prodigal spending during the holidays.
  2. The prodigal son spent his share of his inheritance until he was destitute.

Etymology

From Middle French prodigal, from Late Latin prōdigālis (“wasteful”), from Latin prōdigus (“wasteful, lavish, prodigal”), from prōdigō (“to consume, squander, drive forth”), from prōd- [from prō (“before, forward”)] + agō (“to drive”). Also see prodigy.

Synonyms

extravagantimprovidentimprudentlavishprodigalprofligaterecklessspendthriftsquanderinguneconomicalunthriftywasteful

Antonyms

frugalstingy

This word in other languages

pródigo(Español)prodigue(Français)verschwenderisch(Deutsch)pródigo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pordigal
  • pprodigal
  • prdoigal
  • proddigal
  • prodgial
  • prodiagl
  • prodigall
  • prodiggal
  • prodigla
  • proidgal
  • prrodigal
  • rpodigal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

pordigal2pprodigal1prdoigal2proddigal1prodgial2prodiagl2prodigall1prodiggal1
Edit distance from "prodigal"

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 "prodigal"?
"prodigal" is spelled P-R-O-D-I-G-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹɒdɪɡəl/.
What does "prodigal" mean?
As an adjective, "prodigal" means: Wastefully extravagant.
What words are commonly confused with "prodigal"?
"prodigal" is commonly confused with "prodigy", "proximal". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "prodigal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prodigal" is /ˈpɹɒdɪɡəl/. 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 "prodigal"?
From Middle French prodigal, from Late Latin prōdigālis (“wasteful”), from Latin prōdigus (“wasteful, lavish, prodigal”), from prōdigō (“to consume, squander, drive forth”), from prōd- [from prō (“before, forward”)] + agō (“to drive”). Also see pr... 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 "prodigal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

priestly#32,131Pershing#32,120patching#32,114Rohingya#32,163

Similar misspelling depth

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

outsource12 variantsSandoval12 variantsnecrosis12 variantsspiteful12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list