per
German, preposition/pɛr/
per is spelled P-E-R (3 letters) and appears 129 times per million words in written German, the 678th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Per is a German preposition meaning “by, by means of, through, via” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “mittels”.
What does per mean in English?
preposition
- 1
by, by means of, through, via
Diese Frage kann nicht per Verordnung, sondern muss per Gesetz geregelt werden.
- 2
by (a date)
Lieferung per sofort
- 3
datedper, for (each)
fünf Euro per Quadratmeter
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
preposition: 1. mittels 2. bezogen auf
prefix: 1. durch, hindurch, völlig, sehr 2. Vorsilbe für eine chemische Verbindung, in der das Zentralatom in der höchsten oder einer sehr hohen Oxidationsstufe vorhanden ist
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
How do you pronounce per?
- /pɛr/
- [pɛʁ]
- [pɛɐ̯]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to per
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is per in German?
per appears 129 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).