world's oldest profession
"world-s-oldest-profession" is a 22-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“world's oldest profession” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 25
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Prostitution.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | world's oldest profession |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 25 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “world's oldest profession” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
world's oldest profession is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Prostitution.".
world's oldest profession has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: First appears c. 1888, coined by Rudyard Kipling as most ancient profession in the world. Alternative forms appeared in the early 1900s, present form popular by the 1930s. Similar terms with various senses (not necessarily prostitution) exist in other langu… The correct English form is world's oldest profession, spelled W-O-R-L-D-'-S- -O-L-D-E-S-T- -P-R-O-F-E-S-S-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1Prostitution.
Etymology
First appears c. 1888, coined by Rudyard Kipling as most ancient profession in the world. Alternative forms appeared in the early 1900s, present form popular by the 1930s. Similar terms with various senses (not necessarily prostitution) exist in other languages.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "world's oldest profession"?
What does "world's oldest profession" mean?
What is the origin of the word "world's oldest profession"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “world's oldest profession”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is W-O-R-L-D-'-S- -O-L-D-E-S-T- -P-R-O-F-E-S-S-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- 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.