proscription
pro·scrip·tion/pɹəˈskɹɪp.ʃən/noun
proscription is spelled P-R-O-S-C-R-I-P-T-I-O-N: 12 letters and 3 syllables (pro·scrip·tion). It appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 97,057th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “prescription vs proscription” about 20 times a month (Bing, United States). As a noun, proscription means “A prohibition” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of proscription is proscriptions.
How many letters and syllables are in proscription?
| Letters | 12: P-R-O-S-C-R-I-P-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: pro·scrip·tion |
| In writing | about once in every 10 million words; the 97,057th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is proscription?
Proscription appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 97,057th 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 proscription?
- /pɹəˈskɹɪp.ʃən/
- /pɹoʊˈskɹɪp.ʃən/
Proscription has 3 syllables, split pro·scrip·tion in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-proscription.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with proscription
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of proscription
- proscriptions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does proscription mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A prohibition.
- 2
Decree of condemnation toward one or more persons, especially in the Roman antiquity.
- 3
The act of proscribing, or its result.
- 4
A decree or law that prohibits.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Proscription in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a prohibition:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | proscription |
| Spanish | proscripción |
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 proscription come from?
From Middle English proscripcion, from Latin prōscrīptiō, from prōscrībō (originally "publish in writing"), from prō- and scrībō (“write”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).