A prong is one of several long, thin, pointed parts that stick out from something. The most familiar example is a fork: each of those metal spikes that pierce your food is a prong. Most dinner forks have four prongs, while some fancy serving forks have only two or three.

Prongs appear in lots of useful tools and objects. An electrical plug has two or three metal prongs that fit into a wall outlet to complete a circuit. A pitchfork has several prongs for lifting hay. A garden cultivator uses prongs to break up soil. The setting on a ring uses tiny prongs to hold a gemstone securely in place.

The word also describes parts of a strategy or plan. A two-pronged attack means coming at a problem from two different directions at once, like studying vocabulary both by reading books and by practicing flashcards. This kind of multipronged approach can work better than trying just one thing, because if one method doesn't work perfectly, the others might succeed.