prowl
/pɹaʊl/verb, noun
prowl is spelled P-R-O-W-L: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,336th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, prowl means “To rove over, through, or about in a stealthy manner; especially, to search in, as for prey or booty” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in prowl?
| Letters | 5: P-R-O-W-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 39,336th 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 prowl?
Prowl appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,336th 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 prowl?
- /pɹaʊl/
- /pɹoʊl/
Prowl has one syllable (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-prowl.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of prowl
- prowls present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- prowling participle, present
- prowled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does prowl mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To rove over, through, or about in a stealthy manner; especially, to search in, as for prey or booty.
Watch the lioness prowling in the shrubbery for zebras.
- 2
To idle; to go about aimlessly.
That dandy has nothing better to do than prowl around town all day in his pinstripe suit.
- 3
obsoleteTo collect by plunder.
to prowl money
noun
- 1
colloquialThe act of prowling.
I'm going on a midnight prowl.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Prowl in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rôder |
| German | durchstreifen, herumstreifen |
| Spanish | merodear, rondar , vaguear , pillar , pillando |
| Portuguese | perambular |
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 prowl come from?
From Middle English prollen, of unknown origin.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).