proud
/ˈpɹaʊ̯d/adjective
proud is spelled P-R-O-U-D: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 60 times per million words in written English, the 1,724th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, proud means “Feeling honoured (by something); feeling happy or satisfied about an event or fact; gratified” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in proud?
| Letters | 5: P-R-O-U-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 60 times per million words; the 1,724th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is proud?
Proud appears 60 times per million words in written English, the 1,724th 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 proud?
- US /ˈpɹaʊ̯d/
- /ˈpɹæʊ̯d/
- /ˈpɹaːd/
Proud has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-proud.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with proud?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as proud from its last stressed vowel (/aʊd/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of proud
- prouder comparative
- more proud comparative
- proudest superlative
- most proud superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does proud mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Feeling honoured (by something); feeling happy or satisfied about an event or fact; gratified.
We're proud of having won / to have won.
- 2
That makes one feel proud (of something one did)
That was not the proudest thing I did but I can’t deny it.
- 3
Possessed of a due sense of what one deserves or is worth.
I was too proud to apologise.
- 4
Having too high an opinion of oneself; arrogant, supercilious, prideful.
- 5
Generating a sense of pride; being a cause for pride.
It was a proud day when we finally won the championship.
- 6
standing upwards as in the manner of a proud person; stately or majestic.
- 7
Standing out or raised; swollen.
After it had healed, the scar tissue stood proud of his flesh.
- 8
obsoleteBrave, valiant; gallant.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Proud in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fier |
| German | stolz |
| Portuguese | orgulhoso , orgulhante |
| Spanish | orgulloso |
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 proud come from?
From Middle English proud, prout, prut, from Old English prūd, prūt (“proud, arrogant, haughty”) (compare Old English prȳtung (“pride”); prȳde, prȳte (“pride”), see also Old English deal), probably from Old French prod, prut (“brave, gallant”) (modern French preux), from Late Latin prōde (“useful”), derived from Latin prōdesse (“to be of value”); however, the Old English umlaut derivatives prȳte, prȳtian, etc. suggest the word may be older and possibly native. Compare Old Norse prýði (“ornament; gallantry, bravery”). See also pride.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).