protocol
pro·to·col/ˈpɹoʊtəˌkɑl/noun
protocol is spelled P-R-O-T-O-C-O-L, 3 syllables: pro·to·col. The wrong spelling people search most is protocal: about 770 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 10 of all searches for the word. Protocol is a noun meaning “The minutes, or official record, of a negotiation or transaction; especially a document drawn up officially…”. The plural of protocol is protocols.
How many letters and syllables are in protocol?
| Letters | 8: P-R-O-T-O-C-O-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: pro·to·col |
| In writing | 14 times per million words; the 5,595th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 1; the most searched, protocal, about 770 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How do you spell protocol?
Protocol is spelled P-R-O-T-O-C-O-L. One wrong spelling is searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 10 of the searches for protocol in either form.
Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is protocol?
Protocol appears 14 times per million words in written English, the 5,595th 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 protocol?
- UK /ˈpɹəʊtəˌkɒl/
- US /ˈpɹoʊtəˌkɑl/
- US /ˈpɹoʊtəˌkɔl/
Protocol has 3 syllables, split pro·to·col in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-protocol.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-protocol.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of protocol
- protocols plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- protocoling US, participle, present
- protocolling UK, participle, present
- protocoled US, participle, past
- protocolled UK, participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does protocol mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The minutes, or official record, of a negotiation or transaction; especially a document drawn up officially which forms the legal basis for subsequent agreements based on it.
- 2
archaicAn official record of a diplomatic meeting or negotiation; later specifically, a draft document setting out agreements to be signed into force by a subsequent formal treaty.
- 3
An amendment to an official treaty.
The 1992 Protocol amended the definitions of other terms, including ‘ship’, ‘oil’ and ‘incident’: Art. 2.
- 4
The first leaf of a roll of papyrus, or the official mark typically found on such a page.
- 5
The official formulas which appeared at the beginning or end of certain official documents such as charters, papal bulls etc.
- 6
The original notes of observations made during an experiment.
- 7
The precise method for carrying out or reproducing a given experiment.
- 8
The official rules and guidelines for heads of state and other dignitaries, governing accepted behaviour in relations with other diplomatic representatives or over affairs of state.
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo make a protocol of.
- 2
obsoleteTo make or write protocols, or first drafts; to issue protocols.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Protocol in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | protocole |
| Portuguese | protocolo |
| Spanish | protocolo |
| German | Protokoll , protokollieren |
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 protocol come from?
Borrowed from Middle French protocolle, protocole (“document, record”), from Late Latin protocollum (“the first sheet of a volume (on which contents and errata were written)”), from Byzantine Greek πρωτόκολλον (prōtókollon, “first sheet glued onto a manuscript”), from πρῶτος (prôtos, “first”) + κόλλα (kólla, “glue”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).