past participle

/ˈpæst pɑː(ɹ)ˈtɪsɪpəl/

//ˈpæst pɑː(ɹ)ˈtɪsɪpəl// noun

"past-participle" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
15
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A participle indicating a completed action or state.

Corpus desk

Index EN-past-participle · past participle · English

past participle · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 15 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" 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 past participle
PropertyValue
Headwordpast participle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpæst pɑː(ɹ)ˈtɪsɪpəl/
Letters15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “past participle” in English

past participleranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

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

Rare enough to double-check

past participle is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpæst pɑː(ɹ)ˈtɪsɪpəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A participle indicating a completed action or state.".

past participle has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is past participle, spelled P-A-S-T- -P-A-R-T-I-C-I-P-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A participle indicating a completed action or state.

Synonyms

perfect participle

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 "past participle"?
"past participle" is spelled P-A-S-T- -P-A-R-T-I-C-I-P-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpæst pɑː(ɹ)ˈtɪsɪpəl/.
What does "past participle" mean?
As a noun, "past participle" means: A participle indicating a completed action or state.
How do you pronounce "past participle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "past participle" is /ˈpæst pɑː(ɹ)ˈtɪsɪpəl/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "past participle" come from?
"past participle" is a English 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list