prong
/pɹɔŋ/noun, verb
prong is spelled P-R-O-N-G: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,998th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, prong means “A thin, pointed, projecting part, as of an antler or a fork or similar tool” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of prong is prongs.
How many letters and syllables are in prong?
| Letters | 5: P-R-O-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,998th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is prong?
Prong appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,998th 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 prong?
- UK /pɹɒŋ/
- US /pɹɔŋ/
- /pɹɑŋ/
Prong has one syllable (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-prong.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-prong.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with prong?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as prong from its last stressed vowel (/ɔŋ/):
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 prong
- prongs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- pronging participle, present
- pronged participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does prong mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A thin, pointed, projecting part, as of an antler or a fork or similar tool.
a pitchfork with four prongs
- 2
A branch; a fork.
the two prongs of a river
- 3
A fork (agricultural tool).
- 4
colloquialThe penis.
verb
- 1
To pierce or poke with, or as if with, a prong.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Prong in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dent, pointe, broche , bras |
| German | Zinke, Zacke, Zacken, Stift, Ende, Sprosse |
| Portuguese | ponta, dente , braço, ramo |
| Spanish | prolongación, punta, gajo, vástago, púa, puya |
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 prong come from?
From Middle English pronge, perhaps from Middle Low German prange (“stick, restraining device”), from prangen (“to press, pinch”), from Old Saxon *prangan, from Proto-West Germanic *prangan, from Proto-Germanic *pranganą (“to press”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)preng- (“to wrap up, constrict”). Akin to Lithuanian spriñgti (“to choke, become choked or obstructed”), Latvian sprañgât (“cord, constrict”), Ancient Greek σπαργανόω (sparganóō, “to swaddle”), σπάργανον (spárganon, “swaddling cloth”). See also prank, prance, prink.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).