program

/ˈpɹəʊ̯ˌɡɹæm/

//ˈpɹəʊ̯ˌɡɹæm// noun

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

"program" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“program” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #545. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#545
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A set of structured activities; a plan of action.

Corpus desk

Index EN-program · program · English

program · rank #545 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #545
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH meet

Nearest frequency peer: meet (-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 “program”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “program” 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).

program vs programs
88% similar
program vs programme
78% similar

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

Key facts for program
PropertyValue
Headwordprogram
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɹəʊ̯ˌɡɹæm/
Letters7
Frequency rank#545
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “program”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).programlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “meet” (#544), “type” (#546), “London” (#543). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “program” is #545. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around program (IPA /ˈpɹəʊ̯ˌɡɹæm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #545 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for program, with forms such as "porgram", "pprogram", and "prgoram". 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, "programs", "programme", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French programme, from Late Latin programma (“a proclamation, edict”), from Ancient Greek πρόγραμμα (prógramma, “a written public notice, an edict”), from προγράφω (prográphō, “I set forth as a public notice”), from πρό (pró, “before”) + γράφω… The correct English form is program, spelled P-R-O-G-R-A-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A set of structured activities; a plan of action.
  2. 2
    A leaflet listing information about a play, game or other activity.
  3. 3
    A set of principal goals which someone, especially a political party or candidate, supports.
  4. 4
    A performance of a show or other broadcast on radio or television.
  5. 5
    A computer program.
  6. 6
    A particular mindset or method of doing things.
  7. 7
    A custom tracklist.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. get with the program
  2. Our program for today’s exercise class includes swimming and jogging.

Etymology

Borrowed from French programme, from Late Latin programma (“a proclamation, edict”), from Ancient Greek πρόγραμμα (prógramma, “a written public notice, an edict”), from προγράφω (prográphō, “I set forth as a public notice”), from πρό (pró, “before”) + γράφω (gráphō, “to write”). Doublet of programma.

Synonyms

showplaybillapplicationcomputer program

This word in other languages

programa(Español)programme(Français)Programm(Deutsch)programação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • porgram
  • pprogram
  • prgoram
  • progarm
  • proggram
  • programm
  • progrma
  • progrram
  • prorgam
  • prrogram
  • rpogram

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of program - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

porgram2pprogram1prgoram2progarm2proggram1programm1progrma2progrram1
Edit distance from "program"

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 "program"?
"program" is spelled P-R-O-G-R-A-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹəʊ̯ˌɡɹæm/.
What does "program" mean?
As a noun, "program" means: A set of structured activities; a plan of action.
What words are commonly confused with "program"?
"program" is commonly confused with "programs", "programme". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "program"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "program" is /ˈpɹəʊ̯ˌɡɹæm/. 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 "program"?
Borrowed from French programme, from Late Latin programma (“a proclamation, edict”), from Ancient Greek πρόγραμμα (prógramma, “a written public notice, an edict”), from προγράφω (prográphō, “I set forth as a public notice”), from πρό (pró, “before... 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 "program", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

example#540current#539process#551college#538

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

himself11 variantstalking11 variantsplayers11 variantsresults11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list