propriety
/pɹəˈpɹaɪəti/noun
propriety is spelled P-R-O-P-R-I-E-T-Y: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, propriety means “The fact of possessing something; ownership” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of propriety is proprieties.
How many letters and syllables are in propriety?
| Letters | 9: P-R-O-P-R-I-E-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,459th 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 propriety?
Propriety appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th 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 propriety?
- UK /pɹəˈpɹaɪəti/
Propriety has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vanderdecken-propriety.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with propriety?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as propriety from its last stressed vowel (/aɪəti/, British pronunciation):
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 propriety
- proprieties plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does propriety mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
obsoleteThe particular character or essence of someone or something; individuality.
- 2
obsoleteA characteristic; an attribute.
- 3
archaicA piece of land owned by someone; someone's property.
- 4
obsoleteMore generally, something owned by someone; a possession.
- 5
The fact of possessing something; ownership.
- 6
archaicCorrect language or pronunciation.
- 7
Suitability, fitness; the quality of being appropriate.
- 8
Correctness in behaviour and morals; good manners, seemliness.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Propriety in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | décence , correction, bienséance, convenances, bonnes manières |
| German | Angemessenheit, Richtigkeit, Korrektheit, Ordnungsmäßigkeit, Geeignetheit , Schicklichkeit |
| Portuguese | propriedade |
| Spanish | propiedad, propriedad, procedencia |
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 propriety come from?
From late Middle English proprietee, propretee, propriete (“ownership”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman propreté, Middle French proprieté, from Latin proprietās. By surface analysis, prop(e)r + -iety. Doublet of property.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).