prospect
pros·pect/ˈpɹɑspɛkt/noun, verb
prospect is spelled P-R-O-S-P-E-C-T: 8 letters and 2 syllables (pros·pect). It appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,778th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, prospect means “The region which the eye overlooks at one time; a view; a scene; an outlook” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of prospect is prospects.
How many letters and syllables are in prospect?
| Letters | 8: P-R-O-S-P-E-C-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: pros·pect |
| In writing | 13 times per million words; the 5,778th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in 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).
How common is prospect?
Prospect appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,778th 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 prospect?
- UK /ˈpɹɒspɛkt/
- US /ˈpɹɑspɛkt/
As a verb (“To search, as for gold”): /pɹəˈspɛkt/, /ˈpɹɑspɛkt/.
Prospect has 2 syllables, split pros·pect in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-prospect_(noun).wav, En-us-prospect.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-prospect_(verb).wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of prospect
- prospects plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- prospecting participle, present
- prospected participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does prospect mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The region which the eye overlooks at one time; a view; a scene; an outlook.
- 2
A picturesque or panoramic view; a landscape; hence, a sketch of a landscape.
- 3
A position affording a fine view; a lookout.
- 4
A relative position of the front of a building or other structure; a face; a relative aspect.
- 5
The act of looking forward; foresight; anticipation.
- 6
The potential things that may come to pass, often favorable.
- 7
A hope; a hopeful.
- 8
Any player whose rights are owned by a top-level professional team, but who has yet to play a game for said team.
verb
- 1
To search, as for gold.
- 2
To determine which minerals or metals are present in a location.
- 3
obsoleteTo have or afford a view; to face or look out.
- 4
obsoleteTo look or face towards; to view.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Prospect in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | perspective , prospecter |
| German | Sicht, Perspektive , Aussicht, Blick , Ausrichtung , Erwartung |
| Portuguese | perspectiva , garimpar , expectativa , prospectar |
| Spanish | perspectiva , vista, panorama , expectativa, prospección, prospectiva |
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 prospect come from?
From Middle English prospecte, from Latin prōspectus (“view, sight, prospect; panorama”), from prōspiciō (“to look forward”) + -tus (suffix forming action nouns), from pro (“before, forward”) + speciō, spiciō (“to look, to see”). By surface analysis, pro- + -spect. Doublet of prospectus and prospekt. The verb is from the noun.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).