peplum

/ˈpɛpləm/

//ˈpɛpləm// noun

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

"peplum" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“peplum” is uncommon English (frequency #74,386 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#74,386
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A peplos, an Ancient Greek garment formed of a tubular piece of cloth folded back upon itself halfway down so that the top of the tube is worn around the waist, and the bottom covers the legs down ...

Corpus desk

Index EN-peplum · peplum · English

peplum · rank #74,386 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #74,386
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH periodontitis

Nearest frequency peer: periodontitis (+3 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 “peplum”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for peplum
PropertyValue
Headwordpeplum
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɛpləm/
Letters6
Frequency rank#74,386
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “peplum” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).peplumfalls 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: “periodontitis” (#74,389), “perlite” (#74,390), “peacefulness” (#74,381). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “peplum” is #74,386. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

peplum is uncommon English at frequency #74,386 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɛpləm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for peplum in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin peplum, from Ancient Greek πέπλον (péplon), accusative singular of πέπλος (péplos). The correct English form is peplum, spelled P-E-P-L-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A peplos, an Ancient Greek garment formed of a tubular piece of cloth folded back upon itself halfway down so that the top of the tube is worn around the waist, and the bottom covers the legs down to the ankles; the open top is then worn over the shoulders, and draped, in folds, down to the waist. Compare the Roman palla.
  2. 2
    A kind of women's outer garment in ancient Greece; a veil.
  3. 3
    A short overskirt cut in such a way that the sides form points.
  4. 4
    A short overskirt attached to the waist of a garment; a basque.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And this was Neith, or Athena, that God thus described, "I am all that was, is, and shall be, and my peplum or veil, no mortal could ever uncover." […] Peplum is properly a womanish pall or veil, embroidered all over and consecrated to Minerva.
  2. 1838: The North American Review, volume XLVII The outer garment was called the peplum, and was used more for occasions of ceremony than for ordinary convenience, as it was very long and ample, and, from the manner of putting it on, must have been inconvenient to the wearer. It was sometimes wound double round the body, […]

Etymology

From Latin peplum, from Ancient Greek πέπλον (péplon), accusative singular of πέπλος (péplos).

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 "peplum"?
"peplum" is spelled P-E-P-L-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɛpləm/.
What does "peplum" mean?
As a noun, "peplum" means: A peplos, an Ancient Greek garment formed of a tubular piece of cloth folded back upon itself halfway down so that the top of the tube is worn around the waist, and the bottom covers the legs down ...
How do you pronounce "peplum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "peplum" is /ˈpɛpləm/. 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 "peplum"?
From Latin peplum, from Ancient Greek πέπλον (péplon), accusative singular of πέπλος (péplos). 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 "peplum", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

petrel#74,393phonon#74,395probly#74,411Pudong#74,416

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list