prolific

/pɹəˈlɪf.ɪk/

//pɹəˈlɪf.ɪk// adj

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

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

The verdict

“prolific” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #13,044 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#13,044
frequency rank, English
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Fertile; producing offspring or fruit in abundance, applied to plants producing fruit, animals producing young, etc.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

prolific vs politic
75% similar

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

Key facts for prolific
PropertyValue
Headwordprolific
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/pɹəˈlɪf.ɪk/
Letters8
Frequency rank#13,044
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “prolific” 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). prolific 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 prolific is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pɹəˈlɪf.ɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #13,044 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for prolific, with forms such as "porlific", "pprolific", and "prloific". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "politic", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: 1635: from French prolifique and its etymon Latin prōlificus, from prōlēs (“offspring”) + -ficus (“making”). The correct English form is prolific, spelled P-R-O-L-I-F-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Fertile; producing offspring or fruit in abundance, applied to plants producing fruit, animals producing young, etc.
  2. 2
    Similarly producing results or performing deeds in abundance.
  3. 3
    Of a flower: from which another flower is produced.

Etymology

1635: from French prolifique and its etymon Latin prōlificus, from prōlēs (“offspring”) + -ficus (“making”).

Synonyms

fertilefecund

This word in other languages

prolífico(Español)fécond(Français)fruchtbar(Deutsch)prolífico(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: porlific,pprolific,prloific,proilfic,prolfiic,prolifci,proliffic,prolificc,proliifc,prollific,prrolific,rpolific

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

porlific2pprolific1prloific2proilfic2prolfiic2prolifci2proliffic1prolificc1
Edit distance from "prolific"

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 "prolific"?
"prolific" is spelled P-R-O-L-I-F-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹəˈlɪf.ɪk/.
What does "prolific" mean?
As an adjective, "prolific" means: Fertile; producing offspring or fruit in abundance, applied to plants producing fruit, animals producing young, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "prolific"?
"prolific" is commonly confused with "politic". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "prolific"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prolific" is /pɹəˈlɪf.ɪk/. 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 "prolific"?
1635: from French prolifique and its etymon Latin prōlificus, from prōlēs (“offspring”) + -ficus (“making”). 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 “prolific”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-R-O-L-I-F-I-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /pɹəˈlɪf.ɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “politic” - see the side-by-side comparison. prolific vs politic
  • 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