progress

/ˈpɹəʊ.ɡɹɛs/

//ˈpɹəʊ.ɡɹɛs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“progress” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,734 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,734
frequency rank, English
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Movement or advancement through a series of events, or points in time; development through time.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

progress vs prowess
75% similar
progress vs progresses
80% similar
progress vs process
75% similar

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

Key facts for progress
PropertyValue
Headwordprogress
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɹəʊ.ɡɹɛs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#1,734
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “progress” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). progress lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for progress is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɹəʊ.ɡɹɛs/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,734 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 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 progress, with forms such as "porgress", "pprogress", and "prgoress". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "prowess", "progresses", "process", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English progresse, from Old French progres (“a going forward”), from Latin prōgressus (“an advance”), from the participle stem of prōgredī (“to go forward, advance, develop”), from pro- (“forth, before”) + gradi (“to walk, go”). Displaced native… The correct English form is progress, spelled P-R-O-G-R-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Movement or advancement through a series of events, or points in time; development through time.
  2. 2
    Specifically, advancement to a higher or more developed state; development, growth.
  3. 3
    An official journey made by a monarch or other high personage; a state journey, a circuit.
  4. 4
    A journey forward; travel.
  5. 5
    Movement onwards, forwards, or towards a specific objective or direction; advance.

Etymology

From Middle English progresse, from Old French progres (“a going forward”), from Latin prōgressus (“an advance”), from the participle stem of prōgredī (“to go forward, advance, develop”), from pro- (“forth, before”) + gradi (“to walk, go”). Displaced native Old English forþgang.

This word in other languages

progreso(Español)progrès(Français)Fortschritt(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: porgress,pprogress,prgoress,progerss,proggress,progres,progrress,progrses,prorgess,prrogress,rpogress

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of progress - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

porgress2pprogress1prgoress2progerss2proggress1progres1progrress1progrses2
Edit distance from "progress"

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 "progress"?
"progress" is spelled P-R-O-G-R-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹəʊ.ɡɹɛs/.
What does "progress" mean?
As a noun, "progress" means: Movement or advancement through a series of events, or points in time; development through time.
What words are commonly confused with "progress"?
"progress" is commonly confused with "prowess", "progresses", "process". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "progress"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "progress" is /ˈpɹəʊ.ɡɹɛs/. 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 "progress"?
From Middle English progresse, from Old French progres (“a going forward”), from Latin prōgressus (“an advance”), from the participle stem of prōgredī (“to go forward, advance, develop”), from pro- (“forth, before”) + gradi (“to walk, go”). Displa... 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.

Using “progress”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-R-O-G-R-E-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpɹəʊ.ɡɹɛs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “prowess” - see the side-by-side comparison. progress vs prowess
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list