pendulum
/ˈpɛnd͡ʒuləm/
"pendulum" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“pendulum” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #20,455 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #20,455
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A body suspended from a fixed support so that it swings freely back and forth under the influence of gravity, commonly used to regulate various devices such as clocks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | pendulum |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpɛnd͡ʒuləm/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #20,455 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “pendulum” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for pendulum is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɛnd͡ʒuləm/. Corpus data places it at rank #20,455 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for pendulum, with forms such as "epndulum", "pednulum", and "penddulum". 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. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from the neuter of Latin pendulus (“hanging”). The correct English form is pendulum, spelled P-E-N-D-U-L-U-M.
Definition
- 1A body suspended from a fixed support so that it swings freely back and forth under the influence of gravity, commonly used to regulate various devices such as clocks.
- 2A body suspended from a fixed support so that it swings freely back and forth under the influence of gravity, commonly used to regulate various devices such as clocks.
- 3A lamp, etc. suspended from a ceiling.
- 4A watch's guard-ring by which it is attached to a chain.
Etymology
Borrowed from the neuter of Latin pendulus (“hanging”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: epndulum,pednulum,penddulum,pendluum,pendullum,pendulmu,pendulumm,penduulm,penndulum,penudlum,pnedulum,ppendulum
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pendulum - 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.
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
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Using “pendulum”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-E-N-D-U-L-U-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpɛnd͡ʒuləm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.