prow

/pɹaʊ/

//pɹaʊ// noun

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

"prow" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“prow” is an uncommon English word, ranked #66,959 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#66,959
frequency rank, English
4
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The front part of a vessel.

Key facts for prow
PropertyValue
Headwordprow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹaʊ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#66,959
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “prow” 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). prow 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 prow is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pɹaʊ/. Corpus data places it at rank #66,959 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for prow in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French proue, proe, from Ligurian prua, proa, from Latin prōra, from Ancient Greek πρῷρα (prōîra). The correct English form is prow, spelled P-R-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    The front part of a vessel.
  2. 2
    A vessel.

Etymology

From Middle French proue, proe, from Ligurian prua, proa, from Latin prōra, from Ancient Greek πρῷρα (prōîra).

This word in other languages

proa(Español)proue(Français)Bug(Deutsch)proa(Português)

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 "prow"?
"prow" is spelled P-R-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹaʊ/.
What does "prow" mean?
As a noun, "prow" means: The front part of a vessel.
How do you pronounce "prow"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prow" is /pɹaʊ/. 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 "prow"?
From Middle French proue, proe, from Ligurian prua, proa, from Latin prōra, from Ancient Greek πρῷρα (prōîra). 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 “prow”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-R-O-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /pɹaʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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