prolix
/ˈpɹəʊ.lɪks/
"prolix" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“prolix” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Tediously lengthy; dwelling on trivial details.
Corpus desk
Index EN-prolix · prolix · English
prolix · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "P" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | prolix |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈpɹəʊ.lɪks/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “prolix” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
prolix is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈpɹəʊ.lɪks/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for prolix in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French prolixe, from Latin prōlixus (“stretched out; courteous, favorable”). The verb is derived from the adjective. The correct English form is prolix, spelled P-R-O-L-I-X.
Definition
- 1Tediously lengthy; dwelling on trivial details.
- 2Long; having great length.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how prolix appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
"Give me but the luxury of answering to one of his prolix, contradictory speeches, and...I only ask the revenge of a reply."
People who have blamed [Jean Charles Léonard de] Sismondi as unnecessarily prolix cannot have considered the crowd of details presented by the history of Italy.
Etymology
From Old French prolixe, from Latin prōlixus (“stretched out; courteous, favorable”). The verb is derived from the adjective.
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
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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.