peg

/pɛɡ/

//pɛɡ// noun

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

"peg" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“peg” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #15,243) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#15,243
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A cylindrical wooden or metal object used to fasten or as a bearing between objects.

Corpus desk

Index EN-peg · peg · English

peg · rank #15,243 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,243
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Patel

Nearest frequency peer: Patel (-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 “peg”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “peg” 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 September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

peg vs PM
0% similar
peg vs PP
0% similar
peg vs PR
0% similar

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

Key facts for peg
PropertyValue
Headwordpeg
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɛɡ/
Letters3
Frequency rank#15,243
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “peg” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).peg lands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for peg is neighbouring look-alikes ("PM", "PP", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /pɛɡ/. Frequency #15,243 among 4,417 “P” headwords. 18 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for peg, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "PM", "PP", "PR", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English pegge, from Middle Dutch pegge (“pin, peg”), from Old Dutch *pigg-, *pegg-, from Proto-Germanic *pig-, *pag- (“peg, stake”), from Proto-Indo-European *bak-, *baḱ- (“club, pointed stick, peg”). Cognate with Dutch dialectal peg (“pin”), Lo… The correct English form is peg, spelled P-E-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A cylindrical wooden or metal object used to fasten or as a bearing between objects.
  2. 2
    A protrusion used to hang things on.
  3. 3
    A support; a reason; a pretext.
  4. 4
    A peg moved on a crib board to keep score.
  5. 5
    A fixed exchange rate, where a currency's value is matched to the value of another currency or measure such as gold.
  6. 6
    A small quantity of a strong alcoholic beverage.
  7. 7
    A place formally allotted for fishing
  8. 8
    A leg or foot.
  9. 9
    One of the pins of a musical instrument, on which the strings are strained.
  10. 10
    A step; a degree.
  11. 11
    Ellipsis of clothes peg.
  12. 12
    A topic of interest, such as an ongoing event or an anniversary, around which various features can be developed.
  13. 13
    A stump.
  14. 14
    The penetration during anal sex using a strap-on dildo.
  15. 15
    A serving of brandy and soda.
  16. 16
    A serving of any hard spirit, particularly whisky.
  17. 17
    A shilling.
  18. 18
    An easily recalled image that a person mentally visualizes with something else, in order to remember that other thing. See mnemonic peg system.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Hang your coat on the peg and come in.
  2. a peg to hang a claim upon

Etymology

From Middle English pegge, from Middle Dutch pegge (“pin, peg”), from Old Dutch *pigg-, *pegg-, from Proto-Germanic *pig-, *pag- (“peg, stake”), from Proto-Indo-European *bak-, *baḱ- (“club, pointed stick, peg”). Cognate with Dutch dialectal peg (“pin”), Low German pig, pigge (“peg, stick with a point”), Low German pegel (“post, stake”), Swedish pigg (“tooth, spike”), Danish pig (“spike”), Norwegian Bokmål pigg (“spike”), Irish bac (“stick, crook”), Latin baculum (“staff”), Latvian bakstît (“to poke”), Ancient Greek βάκτρον (báktron, “staff, walking stick”). Related to beak. This is one of the very few English words that begin with a p and come from Proto-Germanic. Proto-Germanic *p, when not in a consonant cluster beginning with *s, developed by Grimm's law from the Proto-Indo-European consonant *b, which was very rare. (To indicate or ascribe an attribute to): Assumed to originate from the use of pegs or pins as markers on a bulletin board or a list.

This word in other languages

clavija(Español)cheville(Français)Holzdübel(Deutsch)cavilha(Português)

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 September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "peg"?
"peg" is spelled P-E-G. The IPA pronunciation is /pɛɡ/.
What does "peg" mean?
As a noun, "peg" means: A cylindrical wooden or metal object used to fasten or as a bearing between objects.
What words are commonly confused with "peg"?
"peg" is commonly confused with "PM", "PP", "PR". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "peg"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "peg" is /pɛɡ/. 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 "peg"?
From Middle English pegge, from Middle Dutch pegge (“pin, peg”), from Old Dutch *pigg-, *pegg-, from Proto-Germanic *pig-, *pag- (“peg, stake”), from Proto-Indo-European *bak-, *baḱ- (“club, pointed stick, peg”). Cognate with Dutch dialectal peg (... 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 "peg", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

nan#15,226rpm#15,262ser#15,268tao#15,289

What to do next

You've looked up "peg". Here's where to go from here.

  • "peg" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "PM". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #15,243 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "P" letter cohort. P–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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