prologue

/ˈpɹəʊlɒɡ/

//ˈpɹəʊlɒɡ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“prologue” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,625. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,625
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A speech or section used as an introduction, especially to a play or novel.

Corpus desk

Index EN-prologue · prologue · English

prologue · rank #21,625 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,625
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH proctor

Nearest frequency peer: proctor (-1 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 “prologue”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “prologue” 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 prologue
PropertyValue
Headwordprologue
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɹəʊlɒɡ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#21,625
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “prologue”

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).prologuelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “proctor” (#21,624), “proto” (#21,626), “prefix” (#21,623). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “prologue” is #21,625. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around prologue (IPA /ˈpɹəʊlɒɡ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #21,625 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    A speech or section used as an introduction, especially to a play or novel.
  2. 2
    One who delivers a prologue.
  3. 3
    A component of a computer program that prepares the computer to execute a routine.
  4. 4
    An individual time trial before a stage race, used to determine which rider wears the leader's jersey on the first stage.
  5. 5
    A liturgical book containing daily readings, including hagiography.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. “H'm !” he said, “so, so—it is a tragedy in a prologue and three acts. I am going down this afternoon to see the curtain fall for the third time on what […] will prove a good burlesque ; but it all began dramatically enough. It was last Saturday […] that two boys, playing in the little spinney just outside Wembley Park Station, came across three large par…
  2. And hither am I come, / A Prologue arm’d, but not in confidence / Of Authors pen, or Actors voyce;

Etymology

From Middle English prologue, prologe, from Old French prologue, from Latin prologus, from Ancient Greek πρόλογος (prólogos). Equivalent to pro- + -logue.

Antonyms

epilogueepilog

This word in other languages

prólogo(Español)prologue(Français)Prolog(Deutsch)prólogo(Português)

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.

porlogue2pprologue1prloogue2prolgoue2prollogue1prologeu2prologgue1prolouge2
Edit distance from "prologue"

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"?
"prologue" is spelled P-R-O-L-O-G-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹəʊlɒɡ/.
What does "prologue" mean?
As a noun, "prologue" means: A speech or section used as an introduction, especially to a play or novel.
What are common misspellings of "prologue"?
Common misspellings include "porlogue", "pprologue", "prloogue", "prolgoue", "prollogue". The correct spelling is "prologue".
How do you pronounce "prologue"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prologue" is /ˈpɹəʊlɒɡ/. 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 "prologue"?
From Middle English prologue, prologe, from Old French prologue, from Latin prologus, from Ancient Greek πρόλογος (prólogos). Equivalent to pro- + -logue. 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 "prologue", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

puncture#21,630renegade#21,637resorted#21,638Paraguay#21,609

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

proctor11 variantsspamming11 variantssummarize11 variantslovable11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list