prosper

/ˈpɹɒspə(ɹ)/

//ˈpɹɒspə(ɹ)// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"prosper" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“prosper” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #16,098 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#16,098
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To be successful; to succeed; to be fortunate or prosperous; to thrive; to make gain.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

prosper vs Prosser
71% similar
prosper vs prose
71% similar
prosper vs poser
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for prosper
PropertyValue
Headwordprosper
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈpɹɒspə(ɹ)/
Letters7
Frequency rank#16,098
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “prosper” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). prosper lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for prosper is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɹɒspə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #16,098 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for prosper, with forms such as "porsper", "pprosper", and "propser". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "Prosser", "prose", "poser", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French prosperer, from Latin prosperō (“I render happy”), from prosperus (“prosperous”), from Proto-Italic *prosparos, from Proto-Indo-European *speh₁- (“to succeed”), whence also Latin spēs (“hope, expectation”). The correct English form is prosper, spelled P-R-O-S-P-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To be successful; to succeed; to be fortunate or prosperous; to thrive; to make gain.
  2. 2
    To grow; to increase.
  3. 3
    To favor; to render successful.

Etymology

From Old French prosperer, from Latin prosperō (“I render happy”), from prosperus (“prosperous”), from Proto-Italic *prosparos, from Proto-Indo-European *speh₁- (“to succeed”), whence also Latin spēs (“hope, expectation”).

Synonyms

prosperdo welldo well for oneselfgaingrowthriveflourishsucceed

Antonyms

declinefailfallfall on hard timesgo awrygo downhillgo pear-shapedgo to potgo to shitgo to the dogsgo down the toiletgo wrong

This word in other languages

prosperar(Español)prospérer(Français)gedeihen(Deutsch)prosperar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: porsper,pprosper,propser,prosepr,prosperr,prospper,prospre,prossper,prrosper,prsoper,rposper

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of prosper - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

porsper2pprosper1propser2prosepr2prosperr1prospper1prospre2prossper1
Edit distance from "prosper"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "prosper"?
"prosper" is spelled P-R-O-S-P-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹɒspə(ɹ)/.
What does "prosper" mean?
As a verb, "prosper" means: To be successful; to succeed; to be fortunate or prosperous; to thrive; to make gain.
What words are commonly confused with "prosper"?
"prosper" is commonly confused with "Prosser", "prose", "poser". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "prosper"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prosper" is /ˈpɹɒspə(ɹ)/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "prosper"?
From Old French prosperer, from Latin prosperō (“I render happy”), from prosperus (“prosperous”), from Proto-Italic *prosparos, from Proto-Indo-European *speh₁- (“to succeed”), whence also Latin spēs (“hope, expectation”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “prosper”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-R-O-S-P-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpɹɒspə(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Prosser” - see the side-by-side comparison. prosper vs Prosser
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list