# profane

> English word · Adjective · IPA /pɹəˈfeɪn/ · frequency rank #30,548

## Definitions
1. Unclean; ritually impure; unholy, desecrating a holy place or thing.
2. Not sacred or holy, unconsecrated; relating to non-religious matters, secular.
3. Treating sacred things with contempt, disrespect, irreverence, or scorn; blasphemous, impious.
4. Irreverent in language; taking the name of God in vain.

## Etymology
From Middle French prophane, from Latin profānus (“not religious, unclean”), from pro- (“before”) + fānum (“temple”).

## Easily confused with
- **prone** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/profane-vs-prone)
- **profile** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/profane-vs-profile)
- **propane** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/profane-vs-propane)
- **preface** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/preface-vs-profane)
- **probate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/probate-vs-profane)

## Common misspellings (10)
`porfane`, `pprofane`, `prfoane`, `proafne`, `profaen`, `profanne`, `proffane`, `profnae`, `prrofane`, `rpofane`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/profane