proliferation

/pɹəˌlɪf.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/

//pɹəˌlɪf.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən// noun

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

"proliferation" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“proliferation” has 20 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,838. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,838
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
20
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The process by which an organism produces others of its kind; breeding, propagation, procreation, reproduction.

Corpus desk

Index EN-proliferation · proliferation · English

proliferation · rank #12,838 · 20 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,838
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 20 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH premiership

Nearest frequency peer: premiership (-2 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 “proliferation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “proliferation” 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
Key facts for proliferation
PropertyValue
Headwordproliferation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹəˌlɪf.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/
Letters13
Frequency rank#12,838
Misspellings tracked20
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “proliferation”

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).proliferationlands 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 “premiership” (#12,836), “precinct” (#12,835), “pudding” (#12,841). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “proliferation” is #12,838. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 20 spelling variants around proliferation (IPA /pɹəˌlɪf.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,838 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 20 likely wrong-spelling variants for proliferation, with forms such as "porliferation", "pproliferation", and "prloiferation". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French prolifération. The correct English form is proliferation, spelled P-R-O-L-I-F-E-R-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The process by which an organism produces others of its kind; breeding, propagation, procreation, reproduction.
  2. 2
    The act of increasing, rising, or proliferating; augmentation, amplification, enlargement, escalation, aggrandizement.
  3. 3
    The act of increasing, rising, or proliferating; augmentation, amplification, enlargement, escalation, aggrandizement.
  4. 4
    The result of building up; buildup, accretion.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. One particularly damaging, but often ignored, effect of conflict on education is the proliferation of attacks on schools[…]as children, teachers or school buildings become the targets of attacks. Parents fear sending their children to school. Girls are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence.
  2. Internationally, the shipping container had already proven its worth, and by the early 1960s battles were being fought over what their standardised dimensions would be (their expected proliferation was not in question).

Etymology

Borrowed from French prolifération.

This word in other languages

proliferación(Español)prolifération(Français)Vermehrung(Deutsch)proliferação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • porliferation
  • pproliferation
  • prloiferation
  • proilferation
  • prolfieration
  • proliefration
  • prolifeartion
  • proliferaiton
  • proliferasion
  • proliferatino
  • proliferationn
  • proliferatoin
  • proliferattion
  • proliferration
  • prolifertaion
  • prolifferation
  • prolifreation
  • prolliferation
  • prroliferation
  • rpoliferation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of proliferation - 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.

porliferation2pproliferation1prloiferation2proilferation2prolfieration2proliefration2prolifeartion2proliferaiton2
Edit distance from "proliferation"

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 "proliferation"?
"proliferation" is spelled P-R-O-L-I-F-E-R-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹəˌlɪf.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/.
What does "proliferation" mean?
As a noun, "proliferation" means: The process by which an organism produces others of its kind; breeding, propagation, procreation, reproduction.
What are common misspellings of "proliferation"?
Common misspellings include "porliferation", "pproliferation", "prloiferation", "proilferation", "prolfieration". The correct spelling is "proliferation".
How do you pronounce "proliferation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "proliferation" is /pɹəˌlɪf.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/. 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 "proliferation"?
Borrowed from French prolifération. 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 "proliferation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

misunderstood#12,807granddaughter#12,984interestingly#12,998authoritarian#13,095

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (20 here; floor ≥5).

compatibility20 variantsconstructing20 variantstransporting20 variantsprecipitation20 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list