prologue
/ˈpɹəʊlɒɡ/
"prologue" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“prologue” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #21,625 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #21,625
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A speech or section used as an introduction, especially to a play or novel.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | prologue |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpɹəʊlɒɡ/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #21,625 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “prologue” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for prologue is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɹəʊlɒɡ/. Corpus data places it at rank #21,625 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. 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 prologue, with forms such as "porlogue", "pprologue", and "prloogue". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English prologue, prologe, from Old French prologue, from Latin prologus, from Ancient Greek πρόλογος (prólogos). Equivalent to pro- + -logue. The correct English form is prologue, spelled P-R-O-L-O-G-U-E.
Definition
- 1A speech or section used as an introduction, especially to a play or novel.
- 2One who delivers a prologue.
- 3A component of a computer program that prepares the computer to execute a routine.
- 4An individual time trial before a stage race, used to determine which rider wears the leader's jersey on the first stage.
- 5A liturgical book containing daily readings, including hagiography.
Etymology
From Middle English prologue, prologe, from Old French prologue, from Latin prologus, from Ancient Greek πρόλογος (prólogos). Equivalent to pro- + -logue.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: porlogue,pprologue,prloogue,prolgoue,prollogue,prologeu,prologgue,prolouge,proolgue,prrologue,rpologue
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of prologue - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "prologue"?
What does "prologue" mean?
What are common misspellings of "prologue"?
How do you pronounce "prologue"?
What is the origin of the word "prologue"?
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Using “prologue”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-R-O-L-O-G-U-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpɹəʊlɒɡ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.