proviso
/pɹəˈvaɪzoʊ/noun
proviso is spelled P-R-O-V-I-S-O: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, proviso means “A conditional provision to an agreement” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of proviso is provisos or provisoes.
How many letters and syllables are in proviso?
| Letters | 7: P-R-O-V-I-S-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 44,767th 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 proviso?
Proviso appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th 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 proviso?
- /pɹəˈvaɪzoʊ/
Proviso 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-proviso.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-proviso.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of proviso
- provisos plural
- provisoes plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does proviso mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A conditional provision to an agreement.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Proviso in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense conditional provision to an agreement:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | provision (à un accord), réserve |
| German | Bedingung, Maßgabe, Vorbehalt, Vorbehaltsklausel, Kautel |
| Spanish | salvedad |
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 proviso come from?
Borrowed from Latin proviso (“it being provided”), ablative singular neuter of provisus, past participle of providere (“to provide”); see provide.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).