profound

/pɹəˈfaʊnd/

//pɹəˈfaʊnd// adj

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

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

The verdict

“profound” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,835. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,835
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Descending far below the surface; opening or reaching to great depth; deep.

Corpus desk

Index EN-profound · profound · English

profound · rank #7,835 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,835
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH prosecutor

Nearest frequency peer: prosecutor (+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 “profound”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “profound” 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).

profound vs pronoun
75% similar
profound vs profoundly
80% similar

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

Key facts for profound
PropertyValue
Headwordprofound
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/pɹəˈfaʊnd/
Letters8
Frequency rank#7,835
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “profound”

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).profoundlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “prosecutor” (#7,836), “prep” (#7,833), “rebellion” (#7,837). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “profound” is #7,835. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around profound (IPA /pɹəˈfaʊnd/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #7,835 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 profound, with forms such as "porfound", "pprofound", and "prfoound". 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, "pronoun", "profoundly", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English profound, profounde, from Anglo-Norman profound, from Old French profont, profonde, from Latin profundus (“deep, profound”), from prō + fundus (“bottom; foundation”). The correct English form is profound, spelled P-R-O-F-O-U-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Descending far below the surface; opening or reaching to great depth; deep.
  2. 2
    Very deep; very serious.
  3. 3
    Intellectually deep; entering far into subjects; reaching to the bottom of a matter, or of a branch of learning; thorough.
  4. 4
    Characterized by intensity; deeply felt; pervading.
  5. 5
    Bending low, exhibiting or expressing deep humility; lowly; submissive.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A gulf profound as that Serbonian bog
  2. a profound investigation

Etymology

From Middle English profound, profounde, from Anglo-Norman profound, from Old French profont, profonde, from Latin profundus (“deep, profound”), from prō + fundus (“bottom; foundation”).

Synonyms

deep-grounded

This word in other languages

profundo(Español)profond(Français)tiefgehend(Deutsch)profundo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • porfound
  • pprofound
  • prfoound
  • proffound
  • profonud
  • profoudn
  • profoundd
  • profounnd
  • profuond
  • proofund
  • prrofound
  • rpofound

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

porfound2pprofound1prfoound2proffound1profonud2profoudn2profoundd1profounnd1
Edit distance from "profound"

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 "profound"?
"profound" is spelled P-R-O-F-O-U-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹəˈfaʊnd/.
What does "profound" mean?
As an adjective, "profound" means: Descending far below the surface; opening or reaching to great depth; deep.
What words are commonly confused with "profound"?
"profound" is commonly confused with "pronoun", "profoundly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "profound"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "profound" is /pɹəˈfaʊnd/. 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 "profound"?
From Middle English profound, profounde, from Anglo-Norman profound, from Old French profont, profonde, from Latin profundus (“deep, profound”), from prō + fundus (“bottom; foundation”). 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 "profound", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

overtime#7,826modeling#7,816medicare#7,815threaten#7,861

Similar misspelling depth

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

incorrect12 variantsairports12 variantsdreaming12 variantsBerkeley12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list