proficient
/pɹoʊˈfɪʃ.ənt/adjective, noun
proficient is spelled P-R-O-F-I-C-I-E-N-T: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 19,825th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, proficient means “Good at something; skilled; fluent; practiced, especially in relation to a task or skill” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in proficient?
| Letters | 10: P-R-O-F-I-C-I-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.9 times per million words; the 19,825th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is proficient?
Proficient appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 19,825th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce proficient?
- UK /pɹəˈfɪʃ.ənt/
- US /pɹoʊˈfɪʃ.ənt/
- US /pɹəˈfɪʃ.ənt/
Proficient has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-proficient.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with proficient?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as proficient from its last stressed vowel (/ɪʃənt/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of proficient
- more proficient comparative
- most proficient superlative
- proficients plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does proficient mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Good at something; skilled; fluent; practiced, especially in relation to a task or skill.
He was a proficient writer with an interest in human nature.
noun
- 1
An expert.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Proficient in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | compétent |
| German | tüchtig, fähig, kompetent, befähigt, bewandert, erfahren |
| Portuguese | proficiente, competente, perito |
| Spanish | competente, proficiente, perito, facundo, que domina , experto |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does proficient come from?
From Latin proficiens, present participle of proficere (“to go forward, advance, make progress, succeed, be profitable or useful”), from pro (“forth, forward”) + facere (“to make, do”); see fact.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).