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PlainSpell

proxy

/ˈpɹɑk.si/adjective, noun, verb

proxy is spelled P-R-O-X-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 5.4 times per million words in written English, the 10,680th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, proxy means “Used as a proxy or acting as a proxy” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in proxy?

Letters5: P-R-O-X-Y
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing5.4 times per million words; the 10,680th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with

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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is proxy?

Proxy appears 5.4 times per million words in written English, the 10,680th 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 proxy?

  • UK /ˈpɹɒk.si/
  • US /ˈpɹɑk.si/

Proxy has 2 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: En-us-proxy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with proxy?

5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as proxy from its last stressed vowel (/ɑksi/):

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of proxy

  • proxies plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • proxying participle, present
  • proxied participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does proxy mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    Used as a proxy or acting as a proxy.

    a proxy indicator

noun

  1. 1

    An agent or substitute authorized to act for another person.

  2. 2

    The authority to act for another, especially when written.

  3. 3

    The written appointment of a proctor in suits in the ecclesiastical courts.

  4. 4

    A measurement of one physical quantity that is used as an indicator of the value of another.

  5. 5

    An interface for a service, especially for one that is remote, resource-intensive, or otherwise difficult to use directly.

  6. 6

    A card used to substitute for another card, when the latter is not available.

  7. 7

    slangClipping of proximity mine.

    (Make sure you don't move!! Might trigger a proxy..!)

verb

  1. 1

    To serve as a proxy for.

    In many of the studies we reviewed, it is common practice to use an observed variable to proxy for a relevant variable that could not be observed.

  2. 2

    To function as a server for a client device, but pass on the requests to another server for service.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Proxy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchpar procuration (used as, or acting as, a proxy), fondé de pouvoir, mandataire (agent or substitute authorized to act for…), procuration (authority to act for another, especially when…), mesure indirecte ((science) measurement of one physical quantity…), proxy ((software) an interface for a service)
GermanProkurist, Stellvertreter (agent or substitute authorized to act for…), Prokura (authority to act for another, especially when…), Proxyserver ((software) an interface for a service)
Portugueseprocurador, procuradora, testa-de-ferro, laranja (agent or substitute authorized to act for…), procuração (authority to act for another, especially when…), proxy ((software) an interface for a service)
Spanishapoderado, podatario, poderante, nuestramo (agent or substitute authorized to act for…), mandato, poder (authority to act for another, especially when…)

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 proxy come from?

Inherited from Middle English procucie, contraction of procuracie, from Anglo-Norman procuracie, from Medieval Latin procuratia, from Latin prōcūrātiō, from Latin prōcūrō (“to manage, administer”) (English procure). Compare proctor.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after proxy