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 May 6, 2026) - Nearness or proximity

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

Where “propinquity” sits in English frequency

propinquity falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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.

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.

Using “propinquity”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-R-O-P-I-N-Q-U-I-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /pɹəˈpɪŋ.kwɪ.ti/ (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list