peon
/ˈpi.ɑn/noun
peon is spelled P-E-O-N: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 65,114th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, peon means “A lowly person; a peasant or serf; a labourer who is obliged to do menial work” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of peon is peons or peones.
How many letters and syllables are in peon?
| Letters | 4: P-E-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 65,114th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 peon?
Peon appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 65,114th 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 peon?
- UK /ˈpiː.ən/
- UK /ˈpeɪ.ɒn/
- US /ˈpi.ɑn/
Peon has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-peon.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-peon2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with peon
Sounds like: paean (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with peon?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as peon from its last stressed vowel (/iɑn/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: open, nope, pone, nepo.
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 peon
- peons plural
- peones plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does peon mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A lowly person; a peasant or serf; a labourer who is obliged to do menial work.
- 2
A person of low rank or importance.
- 3
IndiaA messenger, foot soldier, or native policeman.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Peon in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense peasant or serf:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does peon come from?
From a combination of Middle French pion, peon and Spanish peón, both from Late Latin pedōnem (“pedestrian”). Doublet of pawn.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).