prostrate

/ˈpɹɒstɹeɪt/

//ˈpɹɒstɹeɪt// adj

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

"prostrate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“prostrate” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #42,837. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#42,837
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Lying flat, face-down.

Corpus desk

Index EN-prostrate · prostrate · English

prostrate · rank #42,837 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #42,837
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Prosecco

Nearest frequency peer: Prosecco (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “prostrate”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “prostrate” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

prostrate vs prostate
89% similar

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

Key facts for prostrate
PropertyValue
Headwordprostrate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈpɹɒstɹeɪt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#42,837
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “prostrate”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).prostratelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Prosecco” (#42,836), “pubes” (#42,838), “publicised” (#42,839). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “prostrate” is #42,837. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around prostrate (IPA /ˈpɹɒstɹeɪt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #42,837 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for prostrate, with forms such as "porstrate", "pprostrate", and "prosrtate". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "prostate", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English prostrat(e) (“prostrate”, also used as the past participle of prostraten), borrowed from Latin prōstrātus, perfect passive participle of prōsternō (“to prostrate”). Participial usage up until Early Modern English. The correct English form is prostrate, spelled P-R-O-S-T-R-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Lying flat, face-down.
  2. 2
    Emotionally devastated.
  3. 3
    Physically incapacitated from environmental exposure or debilitating disease.
  4. 4
    Trailing on the ground; procumbent.
  5. 5
    Prostrated.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Prostrate fall / Before him reverent, and there confess / Humbly our faults.
  2. Finally almost the whole world was combined against the evil-doers, who are now prostrate before us.

Etymology

From Middle English prostrat(e) (“prostrate”, also used as the past participle of prostraten), borrowed from Latin prōstrātus, perfect passive participle of prōsternō (“to prostrate”). Participial usage up until Early Modern English.

This word in other languages

postrado(Español)niedergestreckt(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • porstrate
  • pprostrate
  • prosrtate
  • prosstrate
  • prostarte
  • prostraet
  • prostratte
  • prostrrate
  • prostrtae
  • prosttrate
  • protsrate
  • prrostrate
  • prsotrate
  • rpostrate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of prostrate - 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.

porstrate2pprostrate1prosrtate2prosstrate1prostarte2prostraet2prostratte1prostrrate1
Edit distance from "prostrate"

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 "prostrate"?
"prostrate" is spelled P-R-O-S-T-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹɒstɹeɪt/.
What does "prostrate" mean?
As an adjective, "prostrate" means: Lying flat, face-down.
What words are commonly confused with "prostrate"?
"prostrate" is commonly confused with "prostate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "prostrate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prostrate" is /ˈpɹɒstɹeɪt/. 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 "prostrate"?
From Middle English prostrat(e) (“prostrate”, also used as the past participle of prostraten), borrowed from Latin prōstrātus, perfect passive participle of prōsternō (“to prostrate”). Participial usage up until Early Modern English. 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 "prostrate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

quicksand#42,842Reichstag#42,856ridership#42,870occipital#42,799

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

sasquatch14 variantssepulchre14 variantsMorristown14 variantsMarysville14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list