pectin
/ˈpɛktɪn/
"pectin" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“pectin” is uncommon English (frequency #58,274 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #58,274
- frequency rank, English
- 46,516
- “P” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A polysaccharide extracted from the cell walls of plants, especially of fruits; under acidic conditions it forms a gel. It is often used in processed foods, especially jellies and jams where it cau...
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | pectin |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpɛktɪn/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #58,274 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “pectin” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
pectin is uncommon English at frequency #58,274 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɛktɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A polysaccharide extracted from the cell walls of plants, especially of fruits; under acidic conditions it forms a gel. It is often used in processed foods, especially jellies and jams where it cau...".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for pectin, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From French pectine, coined in the 1830s by Henri Braconnot, from acide pectique "pectic acid", from Ancient Greek πηκτικός (pēktikós, “curdling”), from πηκτός (pēktós, “curdled”), from πήγνυμι (pḗgnumi, “stiffen”). The correct English form is pectin, spelled P-E-C-T-I-N.
Definition
- 1A polysaccharide extracted from the cell walls of plants, especially of fruits; under acidic conditions it forms a gel. It is often used in processed foods, especially jellies and jams where it causes thickening (setting).
Etymology
From French pectine, coined in the 1830s by Henri Braconnot, from acide pectique "pectic acid", from Ancient Greek πηκτικός (pēktikós, “curdling”), from πηκτός (pēktós, “curdled”), from πήγνυμι (pḗgnumi, “stiffen”).
Synonyms
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); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “pectin”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-E-C-T-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpɛktɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.