in perpetuity

prep_phrase

"in-perpetuity" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“in perpetuity” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a prep_phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - For an indefinitely long time.

Corpus desk

Index EN-in-perpetuity · in perpetuity · English

in perpetuity · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "I" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for in perpetuity
PropertyValue
Headwordin perpetuity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPrep_phrase
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “in perpetuity” in English

in perpetuitysits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

in perpetuity is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aprep_phrase. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

in perpetuity doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is in perpetuity, spelled I-N- -P-E-R-P-E-T-U-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    For an indefinitely long time.
  2. 2
    For life.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how in perpetuity appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. bequeathed to the nation in perpetuity
  2. The interest payments on consols were in perpetuity.

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 "in perpetuity"?
"in perpetuity" is spelled I-N- -P-E-R-P-E-T-U-I-T-Y.
What does "in perpetuity" mean?
As a prep_phrase, "in perpetuity" means: For an indefinitely long time.
What language does "in perpetuity" come from?
"in perpetuity" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list