pelf
/pɛlf/noun
pelf is spelled P-E-L-F: 4 letters. It appears about once in every 51 million words in written English, the 222,788th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a derogatory noun, pelf means “Money, riches; gain, especially when dishonestly acquired; lucre, mammon” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pelf is pelfs.
How many letters and syllables are in pelf?
| Letters | 4: P-E-L-F |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 51 million words; the 222,788th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is pelf?
Pelf appears about once in every 51 million words in written English, the 222,788th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce pelf?
- US /pɛlf/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-I_learned_some_phrases-pelf.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-pelf.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with pelf?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as pelf from its last stressed vowel (/ɛlf/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of pelf
- pelfs plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pelf mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
datedderogatoryMoney, riches; gain, especially when dishonestly acquired; lucre, mammon.
- 2
datedRubbish, trash; specifically (UK, dialectal) refuse from plants.
- 3
Dust; fluff.
- 4
derogatoryA contemptible or useless person.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does pelf come from?
From Late Middle English pelf, pelfe (“stolen goods, booty, spoil; forfeited property; money, riches; property; valuable object”), possibly from Anglo-Norman pelf (a variant of pelfre (“booty, loot”)) and Old French peufre (“frippery; rubbish”); further etymology uncertain, possibly a metathesis of Old French felpe, ferpe, frepe (“a rag”). The English word is perhaps related to Late Latin pelfa, pelfra, pelfrum (“forfeited or stolen goods”), Middle French peuffe and French peufe, peuffe (“old clothes; rubbish”) (Normandy), and pilfer.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).