proud

/pɹaʊd/

//pɹaʊd// adj

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

"proud" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“proud” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,735 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#1,735
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Feeling honoured (by something); feeling happy or satisfied about an event or fact; gratified.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

proud vs prove
60% similar
proud vs proxy
60% similar
proud vs Provo
40% similar

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

Key facts for proud
PropertyValue
Headwordproud
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/pɹaʊd/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,735
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “proud” 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). proud 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 proud is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pɹaʊd/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,735 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for proud, with forms such as "porud", "pproud", and "produ". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "prove", "proxy", "Provo", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English proud, prout, prut, from Old English prūd, prūt (“proud, arrogant, haughty”) (compare Old English prȳtung (“pride”); prȳde, prȳte (“pride”)), probably from Old French prod, prud (“brave, gallant”) (modern French preux), from Late Latin p… The correct English form is proud, spelled P-R-O-U-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Feeling honoured (by something); feeling happy or satisfied about an event or fact; gratified.
  2. 2
    Feeling honoured (by something); feeling happy or satisfied about an event or fact; gratified.
  3. 3
    Possessed of a due sense of what one deserves or is worth.
  4. 4
    Having too high an opinion of oneself; arrogant, supercilious, prideful.
  5. 5
    Generating a sense of pride; being a cause for pride.
  6. 6
    standing upwards as in the manner of a proud person; stately or majestic.
  7. 7
    Standing out or raised; swollen.
  8. 8
    Brave, valiant; gallant.
  9. 9
    Excited by sexual desire; specifically of a female animal: in heat.

Etymology

From Middle English proud, prout, prut, from Old English prūd, prūt (“proud, arrogant, haughty”) (compare Old English prȳtung (“pride”); prȳde, prȳte (“pride”)), probably from Old French prod, prud (“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. Cognate with German Low German praud, Old Norse prúðr (“gallant, brave, magnificent, stately, handsome, fine”) (Icelandic prúður, Middle Swedish prudh, Danish prud).

Synonyms

self-confidentarrogantvainconceited

Antonyms

ashamedhumiliatedembarrassedhumblemeekmodest

This word in other languages

orgulloso(Español)fier(Français)stolz(Deutsch)orgulhoso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: porud,pproud,produ,proudd,prroud,pruod,rpoud

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of proud - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

porud2pproud1produ2proudd1prroud1pruod2rpoud2
Edit distance from "proud"

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 "proud"?
"proud" is spelled P-R-O-U-D. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹaʊd/.
What does "proud" mean?
As an adjective, "proud" means: Feeling honoured (by something); feeling happy or satisfied about an event or fact; gratified.
What words are commonly confused with "proud"?
"proud" is commonly confused with "prove", "proxy", "Provo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "proud"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "proud" is /pɹaʊd/. 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 "proud"?
From Middle English proud, prout, prut, from Old English prūd, prūt (“proud, arrogant, haughty”) (compare Old English prȳtung (“pride”); prȳde, prȳte (“pride”)), probably from Old French prod, prud (“brave, gallant”) (modern French preux), from La... 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 “proud”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-R-O-U-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /pɹaʊd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “prove” - see the side-by-side comparison. proud vs prove
  • 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