prophecy

/ˈpɹɒfɪsi/

//ˈpɹɒfɪsi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“prophecy” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,093. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,093
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A prediction, especially one made by a prophet or under divine inspiration.

Corpus desk

Index EN-prophecy · prophecy · English

prophecy · rank #11,093 · 13 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,093
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH proudly

Nearest frequency peer: proudly (+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 “prophecy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “prophecy” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

prophecy vs prophet
75% similar
prophecy vs prophets
75% similar
prophecy vs prophesy
88% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for prophecy
PropertyValue
Headwordprophecy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɹɒfɪsi/
Letters8
Frequency rank#11,093
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “prophecy”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).prophecylands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “proudly” (#11,094), “rebuilding” (#11,095), “preferably” (#11,090). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “prophecy” is #11,093. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around prophecy (IPA /ˈpɹɒfɪsi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,093 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for prophecy, with forms such as "porphecy", "pprophecy", and "prohpecy". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "prophet", "prophets", "prophesy", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English prophecie, from Old French prophetie, from Latin prophētīa, from Ancient Greek προφητεία (prophēteía, “prophecy”), from προφήτης (prophḗtēs, “speaker of a god”), from πρό (pró, “before”) + φημί (phēmí, “I tell”). Displaced native Old Eng… The correct English form is prophecy, spelled P-R-O-P-H-E-C-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A prediction, especially one made by a prophet or under divine inspiration.
  2. 2
    The public interpretation of Scripture.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. French writer Nostradamus made a prophecy in his book.
  2. But Nature, prevoyant, tingled into his heart an inarticulate thrill of prophecy.

Etymology

From Middle English prophecie, from Old French prophetie, from Latin prophētīa, from Ancient Greek προφητεία (prophēteía, “prophecy”), from προφήτης (prophḗtēs, “speaker of a god”), from πρό (pró, “before”) + φημί (phēmí, “I tell”). Displaced native Old English wītgung. Doublet of prophesy.

This word in other languages

profecía(Español)prophétie(Français)Prophezeiung(Deutsch)profecia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • porphecy
  • pprophecy
  • prohpecy
  • propehcy
  • prophcey
  • propheccy
  • prophecyy
  • propheyc
  • prophhecy
  • propphecy
  • prpohecy
  • prrophecy
  • rpophecy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of prophecy - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

porphecy2pprophecy1prohpecy2propehcy2prophcey2propheccy1prophecyy1propheyc2
Edit distance from "prophecy"

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 "prophecy"?
"prophecy" is spelled P-R-O-P-H-E-C-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹɒfɪsi/.
What does "prophecy" mean?
As a noun, "prophecy" means: A prediction, especially one made by a prophet or under divine inspiration.
What words are commonly confused with "prophecy"?
"prophecy" is commonly confused with "prophet", "prophets", "prophesy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "prophecy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prophecy" is /ˈpɹɒfɪsi/. 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 "prophecy"?
From Middle English prophecie, from Old French prophetie, from Latin prophētīa, from Ancient Greek προφητεία (prophēteía, “prophecy”), from προφήτης (prophḗtēs, “speaker of a god”), from πρό (pró, “before”) + φημί (phēmí, “I tell”). Displaced nati... 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 "prophecy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

recorder#11,096predator#11,089outdoors#11,083severity#11,114

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

Rodriguez13 variantsroutinely13 variantsmilestone13 variantsmasculine13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list