proportion
pro·por·tion/pɹəˈpɔɹʃən/noun, verb
proportion is spelled P-R-O-P-O-R-T-I-O-N: 10 letters and 3 syllables (pro·por·tion). It appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,957th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, proportion means “A quantity of something that is part of the whole amount or number” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of proportion is proportions.
How many letters and syllables are in proportion?
| Letters | 10: P-R-O-P-O-R-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: pro·por·tion |
| In writing | 13 times per million words; the 5,957th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is proportion?
Proportion appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,957th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce proportion?
- US /pɹəˈpɔɹʃən/
- UK /pɹəˈpɔːʃən/
- /pɹəˈpo(ː)ɹʃən/
Proportion has 3 syllables, split pro·por·tion in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-proportion.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with proportion?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as proportion from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɹʃən/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of proportion
- proportions plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- proportioning participle, present
- proportioned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does proportion mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A quantity of something that is part of the whole amount or number.
- 2
Harmonious relation of parts to each other or to the whole.
- 3
Proper or equal share.
- 4
The relation of one part to another or to the whole with respect to magnitude, quantity, or degree.
the proportion of the parts of a building, or of the body
- 5
A statement of equality between two ratios.
- 6
archaicThe "rule of three", in which three terms are given to find a fourth.
- 7
Size.
verb
- 1
To divide into proper shares; to apportion.
- 2
To form symmetrically.
- 3
To set or render in proportion.
- 4
archaicTo correspond to.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Proportion in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | proportion |
| German | Teil, Proportion , Anteil |
| Portuguese | proporção , proporcionar |
| Spanish | proporción |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does proportion come from?
From Middle English proporcion, from Old French proportion, from Latin prōportiō (“comparative relation, proportion, symmetry, analogy”), from pro (“for, before”) + portio (“share, part”); see portion. By surface analysis, pro- + portion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).