propitious

/pɹəˈpɪʃəs/

//pɹəˈpɪʃəs// adj

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

"propitious" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“propitious” is uncommon English (frequency #71,813 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,813
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Favorable; advantageous.

Corpus desk

Index EN-propitious · propitious · English

propitious · rank #71,813 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #71,813
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH propranolol

Nearest frequency peer: propranolol (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “propitious”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “propitious” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for propitious
PropertyValue
Headwordpropitious
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/pɹəˈpɪʃəs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#71,813
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “propitious” in English

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).propitiousfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “propranolol” (#71,814), “prosocial” (#71,815), “Preeti” (#71,809). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “propitious” is #71,813. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

propitious is uncommon English at frequency #71,813 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /pɹəˈpɪʃəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

propitious doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Anglo-Norman and Old French propicius, from Latin propitius (“favorable, well-disposed, kind”). Compare French propice, Portuguese propício and Spanish propicio. The correct English form is propitious, spelled P-R-O-P-I-T-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Favorable; advantageous.
  2. 2
    Characteristic of a good omen.
  3. 3
    Favorably disposed towards someone.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. propitious weather
  2. But counterrevolutions are reversible. Klein devotes much of her book to propitious signs that this can happen — indeed is happening.

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman and Old French propicius, from Latin propitius (“favorable, well-disposed, kind”). Compare French propice, Portuguese propício and Spanish propicio.

Antonyms

unpropitious

This word in other languages

propicio(Español)favorable(Français)günstig(Deutsch)propício(Português)

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 "propitious"?
"propitious" is spelled P-R-O-P-I-T-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹəˈpɪʃəs/.
What does "propitious" mean?
As an adjective, "propitious" means: Favorable; advantageous.
How do you pronounce "propitious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "propitious" is /pɹəˈpɪʃəs/. 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 "propitious"?
From Anglo-Norman and Old French propicius, from Latin propitius (“favorable, well-disposed, kind”). Compare French propice, Portuguese propício and Spanish propicio. 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 "propitious", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

polycyclic#71,803politicize#71,802plutocracy#71,797permeating#71,785

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list