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prolong

pro·long/pɹoʊˈlɑŋ/verb

prolong is spelled P-R-O-L-O-N-G: 7 letters and 2 syllables (pro·long). It appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,073rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, prolong means “To extend in space or length” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in prolong?

Letters7: P-R-O-L-O-N-G
Syllables2: pro·long
In writing1.6 times per million words; the 22,073rd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is prolong?

Prolong appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,073rd 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 prolong?

  • UK /pɹəʊˈlɒŋ/
  • /pɹoʊˈlɔŋ/
  • US /pɹoʊˈlɑŋ/

Prolong has 2 syllables, split pro·long in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-prolong.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with prolong?

6 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as prolong from its last stressed vowel (/ɑŋ/):

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of prolong

  • prolongs present, singular, he/she/it
  • prolonging participle, present
  • prolonged participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does prolong mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

verb

  1. 1

    To extend in space or length.

  2. 2

    To lengthen in time; to extend the duration of.

    Complaining prolongs one’s pain.

  3. 3

    To put off to a distant time; to postpone.

    The government shouldn't prolong deciding on this issue any further.

  4. 4

    To become longer; lengthen.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Prolong in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchprolonger (to extend in space or length)
Germanausdehnen (to extend in space or length), verlängern (to lengthen in time; to extend the duration of…), hinauszögern (to lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to…)
Portugueseprolongar (to extend in space or length), adiar (to lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to…)
Spanishprolongar (to extend in space or length), prorrogar, aplazar (to lengthen in time; to extend the duration of…)

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 prolong come from?

Either a back-formation from prolongation, or from Old French prolonguer or porloignier, from Latin prōlongō, from prō + longō. Doublet of purloin.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after prolong