prologue
/ˈpɹoʊlɔɡ/noun, verb
prologue is spelled P-R-O-L-O-G-U-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,516th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “prolog vs prologue” about 30 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, prologue means “A speech or section used as an introduction, especially to a play or novel” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of prologue is prologues.
How many letters and syllables are in prologue?
| Letters | 8: P-R-O-L-O-G-U-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.7 times per million words; the 21,516th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is prologue?
Prologue appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,516th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce prologue?
- UK /ˈpɹəʊlɒɡ/
- US /ˈpɹoʊlɔɡ/
- US /ˈpɹoʊlɑɡ/
Prologue has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-prologue.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with prologue
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: prolog.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of prologue
- prologues plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- prolog US
- prologuing participle, present
- prologued participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does prologue mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A speech or section used as an introduction, especially to a play or novel.
- 2
One who delivers a prologue.
- 3
A component of a computer program that prepares the computer to execute a routine.
- 4
An individual time trial before a stage race, used to determine which rider wears the leader's jersey on the first stage.
- 5
A liturgical book containing daily readings, including hagiography.
verb
- 1
To introduce with a formal preface, or prologue.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Prologue in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense speech or section used as an introduction, especially to a play or novel:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does prologue come from?
From Middle English prologue, prologe, from Old French prologue, from Latin prologus, from Ancient Greek πρόλογος (prólogos). Equivalent to pro- + -logue.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).