peplum

Name: peplum, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈpɛpləm/

//ˈpɛpləm// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“peplum” is uncommon English (frequency #74,386 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#74,386
frequency rank, English: 46,516
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 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 ...

Key facts for peplum
Property	Value
Headword	peplum
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈpɛpləm/
Letters	6
Frequency rank	#74,386
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “peplum” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). peplum lands here:

#74,386

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

peplum is uncommon English at frequency #74,386 among 46,516 “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
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
A kind of women's outer garment in ancient Greece; a veil.
3
A short overskirt cut in such a way that the sides form points.
4
A short overskirt attached to the waist of a garment; a basque.

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.

Using “peplum”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is P-E-P-L-U-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈpɛpləm/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.