peel

/piːl/

//piːl// verb

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

"peel" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“peel” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #9,644) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#9,644
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To remove the skin or outer covering of.

Corpus desk

Index EN-peel · peel · English

peel · rank #9,644 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,644
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 46,516
  • PHOTO-FINISH Pablo

Nearest frequency peer: Pablo (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “peel”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “peel” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

peel vs PL
0% similar
peel vs per
50% similar
peel vs pet
50% similar

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

Key facts for peel
PropertyValue
Headwordpeel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/piːl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#9,644
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “peel” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for peel is neighbouring look-alikes ("PL", "per", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /piːl/. Frequency #9,644 among 46,516 “P” headwords. 5 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for peel, with forms such as "epel", "peell", and "pel". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "PL", "per", "pet", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English pelen, from Old English pilian and Old French peler, pellier; both from Latin pilō, pilāre (“to remove hair from, depilate”), from pilus (“hair”). Doublet of pill. The correct English form is peel, spelled P-E-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    To remove the skin or outer covering of.
  2. 2
    To remove something from the outer or top layer of.
  3. 3
    To become detached, come away, especially in flakes or strips; to shed skin in such a way.
  4. 4
    To remove one's clothing.
  5. 5
    To move, separate (off or away).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I sat by my sister's bed, peeling oranges for her.
  2. The skillful shepherd peeled me certain wands.

Etymology

From Middle English pelen, from Old English pilian and Old French peler, pellier; both from Latin pilō, pilāre (“to remove hair from, depilate”), from pilus (“hair”). Doublet of pill.

Synonyms

skinstripdisrobestrip

This word in other languages

pelar(Español)peler(Français)schälen(Deutsch)descascar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • epel
  • peell
  • pel
  • ppeel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of peel - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

epel2peell1pel1ppeel1
Edit distance from "peel"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "peel"?
"peel" is spelled P-E-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /piːl/.
What does "peel" mean?
As a verb, "peel" means: To remove the skin or outer covering of.
What words are commonly confused with "peel"?
"peel" is commonly confused with "PL", "per", "pet". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "peel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "peel" is /piːl/. 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 "peel"?
From Middle English pelen, from Old English pilian and Old French peler, pellier; both from Latin pilō, pilāre (“to remove hair from, depilate”), from pilus (“hair”). Doublet of pill. 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 "peel", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pins#9,648Modi#9,636ribs#9,662Lyon#9,625
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list