provident
/ˈpɹɒvɪdənt/adjective
provident is spelled P-R-O-V-I-D-E-N-T: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, provident means “Possessing, exercising, or demonstrating great care and consideration for the future” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in provident?
| Letters | 9: P-R-O-V-I-D-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 44,209th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is provident?
Provident appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,209th 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 provident?
- /ˈpɹɒvɪdənt/
Provident has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-provident.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of provident
- more provident comparative
- most provident superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does provident mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Possessing, exercising, or demonstrating great care and consideration for the future.
- 2
Showing care in the use of something (especially money or provisions), so as to avoid wasting it.
- 3
Providing (for someone’s needs).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Provident in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense demonstrating consideration for the future:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | prévoyant |
| German | vorausschauend, vorsorgend, vorsorglich |
| Spanish | providente, próvido, previsor |
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 provident come from?
From Middle English provident, from Latin prōvidēns, prōvidentis, present participle of prōvideō (“to foresee; to be cautious; to provide”): compare French provident. By surface analysis, provide + -ent. Doublet of prudent.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).