perception
per·cept·ion/pɚˈsɛpʃ(ə)n/noun
perception is spelled P-E-R-C-E-P-T-I-O-N: 10 letters and 3 syllables (per·cept·ion). It appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,309th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, perception means “The organisation, identification and interpretation of sensory information” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of perception is perceptions.
How many letters and syllables are in perception?
| Letters | 10: P-E-R-C-E-P-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: per·cept·ion |
| In writing | 15 times per million words; the 5,309th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is perception?
Perception appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,309th 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 perception?
- UK /pəˈsɛpʃn̩/
- US /pɚˈsɛpʃ(ə)n/
Perception has 3 syllables, split per·cept·ion in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-perception.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of perception
- perceptions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does perception mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The organisation, identification and interpretation of sensory information.
- 2
Conscious understanding of something.
have perception of time
- 3
Vision (ability)
- 4
Acuity
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Perception in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense conscious understanding of something:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | perception |
| German | Wahrnehmung |
| Portuguese | percepção, perceção |
| Spanish | percepción |
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 perception come from?
From Middle English percepcioun, from Middle French percepcion, from Latin perceptiō (“a receiving or collecting, perception, comprehension”), from perceptus (“perceived, observed”), perfect passive participle of percipiō (“to perceive, observe”); see perceive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).