prophylactic

/pɹɒfəˈlæktɪk/

//pɹɒfəˈlæktɪk// noun

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

"prophylactic" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“prophylactic” has 20 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #47,847. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#47,847
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
20
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A medicine which preserves or defends against disease; a preventive.

Corpus desk

Index EN-prophylactic · prophylactic · English

prophylactic · rank #47,847 · 20 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #47,847
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 20 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH proofread

Nearest frequency peer: proofread (-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 “prophylactic”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “prophylactic” 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
Key facts for prophylactic
PropertyValue
Headwordprophylactic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹɒfəˈlæktɪk/
Letters12
Frequency rank#47,847
Misspellings tracked20
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “prophylactic”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).prophylacticlands 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 “proofread” (#47,846), “prophylaxis” (#47,848), “profiler” (#47,845). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “prophylactic” is #47,847. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 20 spelling variants around prophylactic (IPA /pɹɒfəˈlæktɪk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #47,847 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    A medicine which preserves or defends against disease; a preventive.
  2. 2
    A medicine which preserves or defends against disease; a preventive.
  3. 3
    Any device or mechanism intended to prevent harmful consequences.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It is not clear whether such education is to be directed to homosexuals (for whom prophylactics are not a contraceptive) or to heterosexuals as well (for whom prophylactics are a contraceptive).
  2. Given the widespread use of coitus interruptus and male prophylactics as contraceptive practices in France […]

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.

porphylactic2pprophylactic1prohpylactic2prophhylactic1prophlyactic2prophyalctic2prophylacctic1prophylacitc2
Edit distance from "prophylactic"

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"?
"prophylactic" is spelled P-R-O-P-H-Y-L-A-C-T-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹɒfəˈlæktɪk/.
What does "prophylactic" mean?
As a noun, "prophylactic" means: A medicine which preserves or defends against disease; a preventive.
What are common misspellings of "prophylactic"?
Common misspellings include "porphylactic", "pprophylactic", "prohpylactic", "prophhylactic", "prophlyactic". The correct spelling is "prophylactic".
How do you pronounce "prophylactic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prophylactic" is /pɹɒfəˈlæktɪk/. 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 "prophylactic"?
From Latin prophylacticus, from Ancient Greek προφυλακτικός (prophulaktikós, “prophylactic”). 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 "prophylactic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

secessionist#47,895steeplechase#47,932stranglehold#47,936memorization#47,757

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (20 here; floor ≥5).

superposition20 variantsunexplainable20 variantsextinguishing20 variantsdiplomatically20 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list