prowler

/ˈpɹaʊlɚ/

//ˈpɹaʊlɚ// noun

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

"prowler" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“prowler” is uncommon English (frequency #50,744 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,744
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who roves about for prey; one who prowls.

Corpus desk

Index EN-prowler · prowler · English

prowler · rank #50,744 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #50,744
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pronouncement

Nearest frequency peer: pronouncement (-2 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “prowler”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “prowler” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for prowler
PropertyValue
Headwordprowler
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɹaʊlɚ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#50,744
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “prowler” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).prowlerfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “pronouncement” (#50,742), “PSE” (#50,746), “progressivism” (#50,741). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “prowler” is #50,744. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

prowler is uncommon English at frequency #50,744 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɹaʊlɚ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for prowler in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From prowl + -er. The correct English form is prowler, spelled P-R-O-W-L-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who roves about for prey; one who prowls.
  2. 2
    A person who moves stealthily around a place with intention to commit a crime, especially burglary or theft.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how prowler appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. House Prees and Bloods […] were everywhere to be seen in earnest colloquy. For the matter was, that there was some sort of night-prowler about the school grounds.
  2. Discourage nighttime prowlers by installing motion-sensitive lights.

Etymology

From prowl + -er.

This word in other languages

Herumtreiber(Deutsch)

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 "prowler"?
"prowler" is spelled P-R-O-W-L-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹaʊlɚ/.
What does "prowler" mean?
As a noun, "prowler" means: One who roves about for prey; one who prowls.
How do you pronounce "prowler"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prowler" is /ˈpɹaʊlɚ/. 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 "prowler"?
From prowl + -er. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "prowler", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pricked#50,738Queenie#50,754potluck#50,733postdoc#50,731

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list