prophylactic
/pɹɒfəˈlæktɪk/
"prophylactic" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“prophylactic” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #47,847 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #47,847
- frequency rank, English
- 12
- letters
- 20
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A medicine which preserves or defends against disease; a preventive.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | prophylactic |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /pɹɒfəˈlæktɪk/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Frequency rank | #47,847 |
| Misspellings tracked | 20 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “prophylactic” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for prophylactic is 12 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pɹɒfəˈlæktɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #47,847 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 20 likely wrong-spelling variants for prophylactic, with forms such as "porphylactic", "pprophylactic", and "prohpylactic". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin prophylacticus, from Ancient Greek προφυλακτικός (prophulaktikós, “prophylactic”). The correct English form is prophylactic, spelled P-R-O-P-H-Y-L-A-C-T-I-C.
Definition
- 1A medicine which preserves or defends against disease; a preventive.
- 2A medicine which preserves or defends against disease; a preventive.
- 3Any device or mechanism intended to prevent harmful consequences.
Etymology
From Latin prophylacticus, from Ancient Greek προφυλακτικός (prophulaktikós, “prophylactic”).
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: porphylactic,pprophylactic,prohpylactic,prophhylactic,prophlyactic,prophyalctic,prophylacctic,prophylacitc,prophylactci,prophylacticc,prophylacttic,prophylatcic,prophylcatic,prophyllactic,prophyylactic,propphylactic,propyhlactic,prpohylactic,prrophylactic,rpophylactic
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of prophylactic - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "prophylactic"?
What does "prophylactic" mean?
What are common misspellings of "prophylactic"?
How do you pronounce "prophylactic"?
What is the origin of the word "prophylactic"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “prophylactic”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-R-O-P-H-Y-L-A-C-T-I-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /pɹɒfəˈlæktɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.