Pema

/ˈpɛmə/

//ˈpɛmə// noun

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

The verdict

“Pema” is uncommon English (frequency #78,006 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,006
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A title indicating great respect, prefixed to the names of Tibetan Buddhists.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pema · Pema · English

Pema · rank #78,006 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #78,006
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH percolation

Nearest frequency peer: percolation (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “Pema”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “Pema” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Pema
PropertyValue
HeadwordPema
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɛmə/
Letters4
Frequency rank#78,006
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Pema” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).Pemafalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “percolation” (#78,007), “perpendicularly” (#78,008), “pbk” (#78,003). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “Pema” is #78,006. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Pema is uncommon English at frequency #78,006 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɛmə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A title indicating great respect, prefixed to the names of Tibetan Buddhists.".

Pema doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Tibetan པད་མ (pad ma), from Sanskrit पद्म (padma, “lotus”). Doublet of Padma. The correct English form is Pema, spelled P-E-M-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A title indicating great respect, prefixed to the names of Tibetan Buddhists.

Etymology

Borrowed from Tibetan པད་མ (pad ma), from Sanskrit पद्म (padma, “lotus”). Doublet of Padma.

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 "Pema"?
"Pema" is spelled P-E-M-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɛmə/.
What does "Pema" mean?
As a noun, "Pema" means: A title indicating great respect, prefixed to the names of Tibetan Buddhists.
How do you pronounce "Pema"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Pema" is /ˈpɛmə/. 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 "Pema"?
Borrowed from Tibetan པད་མ (pad ma), from Sanskrit पद्म (padma, “lotus”). Doublet of Padma. 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 "Pema", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list