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prospective

/pɹəˈspɛktɪv/adjective, noun

prospective is spelled P-R-O-S-P-E-C-T-I-V-E: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 7.4 times per million words in written English, the 8,669th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, prospective means “Likely or expected to happen or become” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in prospective?

Letters11: P-R-O-S-P-E-C-T-I-V-E
Syllables3 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing7.4 times per million words; the 8,669th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

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).

How common is prospective?

Prospective appears 7.4 times per million words in written English, the 8,669th 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 prospective?

  • /pɹəˈspɛktɪv/

Prospective has 3 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)-Vealhurl-prospective.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of prospective

  • prospectives plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does prospective mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    Likely or expected to happen or become.

    Prospective students are those who have already applied to the university, but have yet to be admitted.

  2. 2

    Anticipated in the near or far future.

  3. 3

    Of or relating to a prospect; furnishing a prospect.

  4. 4

    Looking forward in time; acting with foresight.

  5. 5

    Being a study that starts with the present situation and follows participants into the future

  6. 6

    Indicating grammatically an activity about to begin.

    What some other languages convey with prospective aspect, English conveys with expressions like going to drive the car home.

noun

  1. 1

    obsoleteThe scene before or around, in time or in space; view; prospect.

  2. 2

    obsoleteA perspective glass.

  3. 3

    informalA prospective (potential) member, student, employee, date, partner, etc.

    Would you like to show the prospective around?

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Prospective in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchprospectif (likely or expected to happen or become)
Germanvoraussichtlich, zukünftig, künftig, prospektiv (likely or expected to happen or become)
Portugueseprospectivo (likely or expected to happen or become), prospetivo (following the same population)
Spanishprospectivo (likely or expected to happen or become)

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 prospective come from?

From Middle French prospectif, from Late Latin prospectivus. See more at English prospect.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after prospective