peer pressure

noun

"peer-pressure" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“peer pressure” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. 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) - Inducement or influence by one's peers.

Corpus desk

Index EN-peer-pressure · peer pressure · English

peer pressure · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 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 peer pressure
PropertyValue
Headwordpeer pressure
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “peer pressure” in English

peer pressuresits 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

peer pressure is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Inducement or influence by one's peers.".

Zero misspellings are on record for peer pressure in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From peer + pressure. First use appears c. 1957 in the publications of Ruth Strang. The correct English form is peer pressure, spelled P-E-E-R- -P-R-E-S-S-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Inducement or influence by one's peers.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She vowed to give up drinking during the exam period, but eventually succumbed to peer pressure and was out drinking with her friends within a week of the resolution.
  2. A successful response uses social forces such as peer pressure and altruism to help people adapt to changing circumstances. It delivers messages and support that promote self-reliance rather than encourage people to fall back on stressed state support.

Etymology

From peer + pressure. First use appears c. 1957 in the publications of Ruth Strang.

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 "peer pressure"?
"peer pressure" is spelled P-E-E-R- -P-R-E-S-S-U-R-E.
What does "peer pressure" mean?
As a noun, "peer pressure" means: Inducement or influence by one's peers.
What is the origin of the word "peer pressure"?
From peer + pressure. First use appears c. 1957 in the publications of Ruth Strang. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list