peddle

/ˈpɛdəl/

//ˈpɛdəl// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"peddle" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“peddle” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,021. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,021
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To sell things, especially door to door or in insignificant quantities.

Corpus desk

Index EN-peddle · peddle · English

peddle · rank #39,021 · 7 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #39,021
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Paton

Nearest frequency peer: Paton (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “peddle”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “peddle” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

peddle vs Pele
50% similar
peddle vs people
67% similar
peddle vs puddle
83% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for peddle
PropertyValue
Headwordpeddle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈpɛdəl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#39,021
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “peddle”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).peddlelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Paton” (#39,020), “peerless” (#39,022), “Pentium” (#39,023). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “peddle” is #39,021. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around peddle (IPA /ˈpɛdəl/), averb. Corpus frequency is #39,021 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for peddle, with forms such as "epddle", "pdedle", and "peddel". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "Pele", "people", "puddle", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Back-formation from pedlar. (Compare burgle from burglar.) The correct English form is peddle, spelled P-E-D-D-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To sell things, especially door to door or in insignificant quantities.
  2. 2
    To sell illegal narcotics.
  3. 3
    To spread or cause to spread.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. My hopes wa'n't disappointed. I never saw clams thicker than they was along them inshore flats. I filled my dreener in no time, and then it come to me that 'twouldn't be a bad idee to get a lot more, take 'em with me to Wellmouth, and peddle 'em out. Clams was fairly scarce over that side of the bay and ought to fetch a fair price.
  2. - How much you think this stuff is worth? - Yeah, there must be a million bucks' worth. - Think we could peddle it? - Oh, you can always get rid of it.

Etymology

Back-formation from pedlar. (Compare burgle from burglar.)

This word in other languages

difundir(Español)colporter(Français)verbreiten(Deutsch)traficar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • epddle
  • pdedle
  • peddel
  • peddlle
  • pedlde
  • pedle
  • ppeddle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of peddle - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

epddle2pdedle2peddel2peddlle1pedlde2pedle1ppeddle1
Edit distance from "peddle"

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

How do you spell "peddle"?
"peddle" is spelled P-E-D-D-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɛdəl/.
What does "peddle" mean?
As a verb, "peddle" means: To sell things, especially door to door or in insignificant quantities.
What words are commonly confused with "peddle"?
"peddle" is commonly confused with "Pele", "people", "puddle". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "peddle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "peddle" is /ˈpɛdəl/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "peddle"?
Back-formation from pedlar. (Compare burgle from burglar.) See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "peddle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pariah#39,017queued#39,042Obamas#38,998mythos#38,987

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

parka7 variantsOxfam7 variantsPoisson7 variantsposit7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list