prose
/ˈpɹoʊz/noun, verb
prose is spelled P-R-O-S-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 5.2 times per million words in written English, the 10,843rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, prose means “Language, particularly written language, not intended as poetry” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of prose is proses.
How many letters and syllables are in prose?
| Letters | 5: P-R-O-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.2 times per million words; the 10,843rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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 prose?
Prose appears 5.2 times per million words in written English, the 10,843rd 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 prose?
- UK /ˈpɹəʊz/
- US /ˈpɹoʊz/
Prose has one syllable (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: En-us-prose.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with prose
Sounds like: pros (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Also written: pro se (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with prose?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as prose from its last stressed vowel (/oʊz/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: ropes, spore, poser, soper, preso.
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 prose
- proses plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- prosing participle, present
- prosed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does prose mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Language, particularly written language, not intended as poetry.
Though known mostly for her prose, she also produced a small body of excellent poems.
- 2
Language which evinces little imagination or animation; dull and commonplace discourse.
- 3
A hymn with no regular meter, sometimes introduced into the Mass.
verb
- 1
To write or repeat in a dull, tedious, or prosy way.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Prose in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense written language not intended as poetry:
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 prose come from?
From Middle English prose, from Old French prose, from Latin prōsa (“straightforward”) from the term prōsa ōrātiō (“a straightforward speech – i.e. without the ornaments of verse”). further etymology and related terms The term prōsa (“straightforward”), a colloquial form of prorsa (“straight forwards”), the feminine form prorsus (“straight forwards”), from Old Latin prōvorsus (“moving straight ahead”), from pro- (“forward”) + vorsus (“turned”), form of vertō (“to turn”). Compare verse.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).