program
/ˈpɹəʊ̯ˌɡɹæm/
"program" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“program” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #545 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #545
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A set of structured activities; a plan of action.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | program |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpɹəʊ̯ˌɡɹæm/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #545 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “program” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for program is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɹəʊ̯ˌɡɹæm/. Corpus data places it at rank #545 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1A set of structured activities; a plan of action.
- 2A leaflet listing information about a play, game or other activity.
- 3A set of principal goals which someone, especially a political party or candidate, supports.
- 4A performance of a show or other broadcast on radio or television.
- 5A computer program.
- 6A particular mindset or method of doing things.
- 7A custom tracklist.
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
This word in other languages
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.
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
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Using “program”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-R-O-G-R-A-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpɹəʊ̯ˌɡɹæm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “programs” - see the side-by-side comparison. program vs programs
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.