propranolol

/pɹəʊˈpɹan.ə.lɒl/

//pɹəʊˈpɹan.ə.lɒl// noun

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

The verdict

“propranolol” is uncommon English (frequency #71,814 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,814
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A synthetic compound which acts as a beta blocker and is used mainly in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmia.

Corpus desk

Index EN-propranolol · propranolol · English

propranolol · rank #71,814 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #71,814
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 46,516
  • PHOTO-FINISH propitious

Nearest frequency peer: propitious (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “propranolol”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “propranolol” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for propranolol
PropertyValue
Headwordpropranolol
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹəʊˈpɹan.ə.lɒl/
Letters11
Frequency rank#71,814
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “propranolol” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). propranolol lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

propranolol is uncommon English at frequency #71,814 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /pɹəʊˈpɹan.ə.lɒl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A synthetic compound which acts as a beta blocker and is used mainly in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmia.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for propranolol, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From (iso)pro(pyl) + pr(op)anol + -ol. The correct English form is propranolol, spelled P-R-O-P-R-A-N-O-L-O-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A synthetic compound which acts as a beta blocker and is used mainly in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmia.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. ‘I can see from your records you were prescribed propranolol for your headaches.’

Etymology

From (iso)pro(pyl) + pr(op)anol + -ol.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "propranolol"?
"propranolol" is spelled P-R-O-P-R-A-N-O-L-O-L. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹəʊˈpɹan.ə.lɒl/.
What does "propranolol" mean?
As a noun, "propranolol" means: A synthetic compound which acts as a beta blocker and is used mainly in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmia.
How do you pronounce "propranolol"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "propranolol" is /pɹəʊˈpɹan.ə.lɒl/. 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 "propranolol"?
From (iso)pro(pyl) + pr(op)anol + -ol. 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 "propranolol", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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