propinquity

/pɹəˈpɪŋ.kwɪ.ti/

//pɹəˈpɪŋ.kwɪ.ti// noun

"propinquity" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“propinquity” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Nearness or proximity

Corpus desk

Index EN-propinquity · propinquity · English

propinquity · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for propinquity
PropertyValue
Headwordpropinquity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹəˈpɪŋ.kwɪ.ti/
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “propinquity” in English

propinquitysits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

propinquity is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /pɹəˈpɪŋ.kwɪ.ti/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

propinquity has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From propinqu(ent) + -ity, from Middle English propinquite, from Middle French propinquité or Latin propinquitās, from propinquus (“neighbouring”) (from prop(e) (“near”) + (h)inc (“hence”) + -uus). The correct English form is propinquity, spelled P-R-O-P-I-N-Q-U-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Nearness or proximity
  2. 2
    Affiliation or similarity.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Some experimental spirits could not resist the diversion of throwing Varick and his former wife together, and there were those who thought he found a zest in the propinquity.
  2. Yet, never before in human history has it been so easy to communicate across long distances. Never before have men been able to maintain intimate and continuing contact with others across thousands of miles; never has intimacy been so independent of spatial propinquity.

Etymology

From propinqu(ent) + -ity, from Middle English propinquite, from Middle French propinquité or Latin propinquitās, from propinquus (“neighbouring”) (from prop(e) (“near”) + (h)inc (“hence”) + -uus).

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "propinquity"?
"propinquity" is spelled P-R-O-P-I-N-Q-U-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹəˈpɪŋ.kwɪ.ti/.
What does "propinquity" mean?
As a noun, "propinquity" means: Nearness or proximity
How do you pronounce "propinquity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "propinquity" is /pɹəˈpɪŋ.kwɪ.ti/. 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 "propinquity"?
From propinqu(ent) + -ity, from Middle English propinquite, from Middle French propinquité or Latin propinquitās, from propinquus (“neighbouring”) (from prop(e) (“near”) + (h)inc (“hence”) + -uus). 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list