profano

adj

The verdict

“profano” is a moderately-common Portuguese word, ranked #36,599 in Portuguese word frequency and used as an adjective.

#36,599
frequency rank, Portuguese
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - caracterizado por irreverência em relação a Deus e às coisas sagradas

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

profano vs profundo
75% similar
profano vs profa
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for profano
PropertyValue
Headwordprofano
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechAdjective
Letters7
Frequency rank#36,599
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “profano” sits in Portuguese 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). profano lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Portuguese entry for profano is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective. Corpus data places it at rank #36,599 in overall Portuguese word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for profano, with forms such as "porfano", "pprofano", and "prfoano". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "profundo", "profa", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct Portuguese form is profano, spelled P-R-O-F-A-N-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    caracterizado por irreverência em relação a Deus e às coisas sagradas
  2. 2
    contrário ao respeito devido à religião; herético
  3. 3
    não devotado ao que é sagrado ou religioso; irreligioso; mundano
  4. 4
    que não é sagrado
  5. 5
    estranho à religião; que não trata de religião; pagão
  6. 6
    que não pertence à classe eclesiástica; não monástico; secular
  7. 7
    não iniciado nos ritos ou mistérios religiosos; leigo
  8. 8
    que não tem ilustração; vulgar

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: porfano,pprofano,prfoano,proafno,profanno,profaon,proffano,profnao,prrofano,rpofano

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of profano - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

porfano2pprofano1prfoano2proafno2profanno1profaon2proffano1profnao2
Edit distance from "profano"

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 Portuguese corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "profano"?
"profano" is spelled P-R-O-F-A-N-O.
What does "profano" mean?
As an adjective, "profano" means: caracterizado por irreverência em relação a Deus e às coisas sagradas
What words are commonly confused with "profano"?
"profano" is commonly confused with "profundo", "profa". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What language does "profano" come from?
"profano" is a Portuguese word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “profano”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is P-R-O-F-A-N-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “profundo” - see the side-by-side comparison. profano vs profundo
  • Browse more Portuguese words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Portuguese 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list