prowess
/ˈpɹaʊɪs/
"prowess" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“prowess” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #18,401 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #18,401
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 8
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Skillfulness or extraordinary ability in a particular area of expertise; dexterity, mastery, or proficiency.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | prowess |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpɹaʊɪs/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #18,401 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 8 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “prowess” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for prowess is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɹaʊɪs/. Corpus data places it at rank #18,401 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for prowess, with forms such as "porwess", "pprowess", and "proewss". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "press", "Powers", "proves", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English prowesse, prouwesse, proues, prouesce, prouesse (“bravery in battle; act of bravery; excellence; nobility of character; intelligence”), from Old French proeche, proesce, proeësche (“goodness; excellence; bravery”), from Old French preu, … The correct English form is prowess, spelled P-R-O-W-E-S-S.
Definition
- 1Skillfulness or extraordinary ability in a particular area of expertise; dexterity, mastery, or proficiency.
- 2Distinguished bravery or courage, especially in battle; heroism.
- 3An act of prowess.
- 4An act of prowess.
Etymology
From Middle English prowesse, prouwesse, proues, prouesce, prouesse (“bravery in battle; act of bravery; excellence; nobility of character; intelligence”), from Old French proeche, proesce, proeësche (“goodness; excellence; bravery”), from Old French preu, prou, prouz, proz, pruz (“good; excellent; brave”). Compare English proud.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: porwess,pprowess,proewss,prowes,prowses,prowwess,prrowess,prwoess,rpowess
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of prowess - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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
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Using “prowess”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-R-O-W-E-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpɹaʊɪs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “press” - see the side-by-side comparison. prowess vs press
- 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.