profligacy

/ˈpɹɑflɪɡəsi/

//ˈpɹɑflɪɡəsi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“profligacy” is uncommon English (frequency #75,316 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#75,316
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-profligacy · profligacy · English

profligacy · rank #75,316 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #75,316
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Prithvi

Nearest frequency peer: Prithvi (-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 “profligacy”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for profligacy
PropertyValue
Headwordprofligacy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɹɑflɪɡəsi/
Letters10
Frequency rank#75,316
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “profligacy” in English

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).profligacyfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Prithvi” (#75,315), “profundity” (#75,317), “protean” (#75,318). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “profligacy” is #75,316. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

profligacy is uncommon English at frequency #75,316 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɹɑflɪɡəsi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for profligacy in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From profligate + -cy. The correct English form is profligacy, spelled P-R-O-F-L-I-G-A-C-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Careless wastefulness.
  2. 2
    Shameless and immoral behaviour.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. No question has arisen within the records of history that pressed with the importance of the present.[…]whether man shall inherit his rights, and universal civilisation take place? Whether the fruits of his labours shall be enjoyed by himself or consumed by the profligacy of governments?
  2. She mixed furniture with the same fatal profligacy as she mixed drinks, and this outrageous contact between things which were intended by Nature to be kept poles apart gave her an inexpressible thrill.

Etymology

From profligate + -cy.

Synonyms

carrying-onCorinthianismknaveryprofligacyrakehoodvice

Antonyms

virtue

This word in other languages

derroche(Español)Verschwendung(Deutsch)esbanjamento(Português)

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 "profligacy"?
"profligacy" is spelled P-R-O-F-L-I-G-A-C-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹɑflɪɡəsi/.
What does "profligacy" mean?
As a noun, "profligacy" means: Careless wastefulness.
How do you pronounce "profligacy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "profligacy" is /ˈpɹɑflɪɡəsi/. 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 "profligacy"?
From profligate + -cy. 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 "profligacy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

profundity#75,317positivist#75,308pigeonhole#75,297reallocate#75,343

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list