perch

/pɜːtʃ/

//pɜːtʃ// noun

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

"perch" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“perch” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,934. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,934
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of the three species of spiny-finned freshwater fish in the genus Perca.

Corpus desk

Index EN-perch · perch · English

perch · rank #19,934 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,934
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pediatrics

Nearest frequency peer: pediatrics (-1 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “perch”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “perch” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

perch vs PRC
0% similar
perch vs Peru
40% similar
perch vs perk
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for perch
PropertyValue
Headwordperch
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɜːtʃ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#19,934
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “perch”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).perchlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “pediatrics” (#19,933), “perpendicular” (#19,935), “payback” (#19,932). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “perch” is #19,934. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around perch (IPA /pɜːtʃ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,934 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for perch, with forms such as "eprch", "pecrh", and "percch". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "PRC", "Peru", "perk", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English perche, from Old French perche, from Latin perca, from Ancient Greek πέρκη (pérkē, “perch”), cognate with περκνός (perknós, “dark-spotted”). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *perḱ-, whence also Old English forn (“trout”), German Forel… The correct English form is perch, spelled P-E-R-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of the three species of spiny-finned freshwater fish in the genus Perca.
  2. 2
    Any of the about 200 related species of fish in the taxonomic family Percidae, especially:
  3. 3
    Any of the about 200 related species of fish in the taxonomic family Percidae, especially:
  4. 4
    Any of the about 200 related species of fish in the taxonomic family Percidae, especially:
  5. 5
    Any of the about 200 related species of fish in the taxonomic family Percidae, especially:
  6. 6
    Any of the about 200 related species of fish in the taxonomic family Percidae, especially:
  7. 7
    Several similar species in the order Perciformes, such as the grouper.

Etymology

From Middle English perche, from Old French perche, from Latin perca, from Ancient Greek πέρκη (pérkē, “perch”), cognate with περκνός (perknós, “dark-spotted”). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *perḱ-, whence also Old English forn (“trout”), German Forelle (“trout”).

This word in other languages

perca(Español)perche(Français)Barsch(Deutsch)perca(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eprch
  • pecrh
  • percch
  • perchh
  • perhc
  • perrch
  • pperch
  • prech

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of perch - 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.

eprch2pecrh2percch1perchh1perhc2perrch1pperch1prech2
Edit distance from "perch"

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 "perch"?
"perch" is spelled P-E-R-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /pɜːtʃ/.
What does "perch" mean?
As a noun, "perch" means: Any of the three species of spiny-finned freshwater fish in the genus Perca.
What words are commonly confused with "perch"?
"perch" is commonly confused with "PRC", "Peru", "perk". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "perch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "perch" is /pɜːtʃ/. 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 "perch"?
From Middle English perche, from Old French perche, from Latin perca, from Ancient Greek πέρκη (pérkē, “perch”), cognate with περκνός (perknós, “dark-spotted”). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *perḱ-, whence also Old English forn (“trout”), Ge... 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 "perch", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Osama#19,925Marta#19,896Marin#19,894sorta#19,975

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

ponies8 variantsrepaid8 variantsmirage8 variantssmelly8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list