prostaglandin

/pɹɒstəˈɡlændɪn/

//pɹɒstəˈɡlændɪn// noun

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

"prostaglandin" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“prostaglandin” is uncommon English (frequency #66,219 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#66,219
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of a group of naturally occurring lipids derived from the C₂₀ acid prostanoic acid; they have a number of physiological functions and may be considered to be hormones.

Corpus desk

Index EN-prostaglandin · prostaglandin · English

prostaglandin · rank #66,219 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #66,219
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH proliferative

Nearest frequency peer: proliferative (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “prostaglandin”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “prostaglandin” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for prostaglandin
PropertyValue
Headwordprostaglandin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹɒstəˈɡlændɪn/
Letters13
Frequency rank#66,219
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “prostaglandin” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “proliferative” (#66,218), “Prokofiev” (#66,217), “Prout” (#66,222). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “prostaglandin” is #66,219. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

prostaglandin is uncommon English at frequency #66,219 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /pɹɒstəˈɡlændɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Any of a group of naturally occurring lipids derived from the C₂₀ acid prostanoic acid; they have a number of physiological functions and may be considered to be hormones.".

prostaglandin has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From German Prostaglandin. Equivalent to prosta(te) + gland + -in. So called because it was originally believed to be secreted by the prostate. The correct English form is prostaglandin, spelled P-R-O-S-T-A-G-L-A-N-D-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of a group of naturally occurring lipids derived from the C₂₀ acid prostanoic acid; they have a number of physiological functions and may be considered to be hormones.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how prostaglandin appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. This enzyme generates an inflammatory mediator known as prostaglandin, which triggers pain and other aspects of inflammation.
  2. Indeed, it’s possible to create the full storm of cold symptoms with no cold virus at all, but only a potent cocktail of the so-called inflammatory mediators that the body makes itself[,] among them, cytokines, kinins, prostaglandins and interleukins, powerful little chemical messengers that cause the blood vessels in the nose to dilate and leak, stimulat…

Etymology

From German Prostaglandin. Equivalent to prosta(te) + gland + -in. So called because it was originally believed to be secreted by the prostate.

This word in other languages

prostaglandine(Français)

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 "prostaglandin"?
"prostaglandin" is spelled P-R-O-S-T-A-G-L-A-N-D-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹɒstəˈɡlændɪn/.
What does "prostaglandin" mean?
As a noun, "prostaglandin" means: Any of a group of naturally occurring lipids derived from the C₂₀ acid prostanoic acid; they have a number of physiological functions and may be considered to be hormones.
How do you pronounce "prostaglandin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prostaglandin" is /pɹɒstəˈɡlændɪn/. 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 "prostaglandin"?
From German Prostaglandin. Equivalent to prosta(te) + gland + -in. So called because it was originally believed to be secreted by the prostate. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "prostaglandin", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

proliferative#66,218normalisation#66,142mineralogical#66,096theatricality#66,345

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list