perestroika

/pɛɹ.ɪˈstɹɔɪ.kə/

//pɛɹ.ɪˈstɹɔɪ.kə// noun

"perestroika" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“perestroika” is uncommon English (frequency #60,355 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,355
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A program of political and economic reform carried out in the Soviet Union in the 1980s and early 1990s under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev.

Key facts for perestroika
PropertyValue
Headwordperestroika
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɛɹ.ɪˈstɹɔɪ.kə/
Letters11
Frequency rank#60,355
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “perestroika” 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). perestroika lands here:

#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

perestroika is uncommon English at frequency #60,355 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /pɛɹ.ɪˈstɹɔɪ.kə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for perestroika, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Russian перестро́йка (perestrójka, “restructuring”). The correct English form is perestroika, spelled P-E-R-E-S-T-R-O-I-K-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A program of political and economic reform carried out in the Soviet Union in the 1980s and early 1990s under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev.
  2. 2
    The period of time in the Soviet Union during which these reforms were carried out and in effect.
  3. 3
    A situation where a small variation of parameters leads to a sudden change in properties.

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian перестро́йка (perestrójka, “restructuring”).

This word in other languages

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 "perestroika"?
"perestroika" is spelled P-E-R-E-S-T-R-O-I-K-A. The IPA pronunciation is /pɛɹ.ɪˈstɹɔɪ.kə/.
What does "perestroika" mean?
As a noun, "perestroika" means: A program of political and economic reform carried out in the Soviet Union in the 1980s and early 1990s under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev.
How do you pronounce "perestroika"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "perestroika" is /pɛɹ.ɪˈstɹɔɪ.kə/. 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 "perestroika"?
Borrowed from Russian перестро́йка (perestrójka, “restructuring”). 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 “perestroika”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-E-R-E-S-T-R-O-I-K-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /pɛɹ.ɪˈstɹɔɪ.kə/ (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list