pruritus

/pɹuːˈɹaɪtəs/

//pɹuːˈɹaɪtəs// noun

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

"pruritus" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pruritus” is uncommon English (frequency #90,864 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#90,864
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Itching; especially, severe itching of undamaged skin; caused by allergy, infection, lymphoma, etc.

Key facts for pruritus
PropertyValue
Headwordpruritus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹuːˈɹaɪtəs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#90,864
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pruritus” 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). pruritus lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

pruritus is uncommon English at frequency #90,864 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /pɹuːˈɹaɪtəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Itching; especially, severe itching of undamaged skin; caused by allergy, infection, lymphoma, etc.".

No misspelling variants are generated for pruritus in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin prūrītus (“an itch, an itching”), from prūriō (“to itch”). The correct English form is pruritus, spelled P-R-U-R-I-T-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Itching; especially, severe itching of undamaged skin; caused by allergy, infection, lymphoma, etc.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin prūrītus (“an itch, an itching”), from prūriō (“to itch”).

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 "pruritus"?
"pruritus" is spelled P-R-U-R-I-T-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹuːˈɹaɪtəs/.
What does "pruritus" mean?
As a noun, "pruritus" means: Itching; especially, severe itching of undamaged skin; caused by allergy, infection, lymphoma, etc.
How do you pronounce "pruritus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pruritus" is /pɹuːˈɹaɪtəs/. 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 "pruritus"?
Borrowed from Latin prūrītus (“an itch, an itching”), from prūriō (“to itch”). 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 “pruritus”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-R-U-R-I-T-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /pɹuːˈɹaɪtəs/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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