perfect

/ˈpɜː.fɪkt/

//ˈpɜː.fɪkt// adj

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

"perfect" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“perfect” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #639. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#639
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Fitting its definition precisely.

Corpus desk

Index EN-perfect · perfect · English

perfect · rank #639 · 10 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #639
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH military

Nearest frequency peer: military (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “perfect”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “perfect” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

perfect vs pervert
71% similar
perfect vs prefect
71% similar
perfect vs perfectly
78% similar

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

Key facts for perfect
PropertyValue
Headwordperfect
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈpɜː.fɪkt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#639
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “perfect” sits in English frequency

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).perfectlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “military” (#638), “personal” (#640), “likely” (#637). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around perfect (IPA /ˈpɜː.fɪkt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #639 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 19 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for perfect, with forms such as "eprfect", "pefrect", and "perefct". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "pervert", "prefect", "perfectly", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English perfit, from Old French parfit (modern: parfait), from Latin perfectus, perfect passive participle of perficere (“to finish”), from per- (“through, thorough”) + facere (“to do, to make”). The spelling was modified in the 15th century to … The correct English form is perfect, spelled P-E-R-F-E-C-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Fitting its definition precisely.
  2. 2
    Having all of its parts in harmony with a common purpose.
  3. 3
    Without fault or mistake; without flaw, of supreme quality.
  4. 4
    Without fault or mistake; without flaw, of supreme quality.
  5. 5
    Without fault or mistake; without flaw, of supreme quality.
  6. 6
    Without fault or mistake; without flaw, of supreme quality.
  7. 7
    Without fault or mistake; without flaw, of supreme quality.
  8. 8
    Excellent and delightful in all respects.
  9. 9
    Morally or spiritually immaculate or ideal.
  10. 10
    Representing a completed action.
  11. 11
    Sexually mature and fully differentiated.
  12. 12
    Having both male parts (stamens) and female parts (carpels).
  13. 13
    Equal to the sum of its proper divisors.
  14. 14
    Equal to its set of limit points, i.e. set A is perfect if A=A'.
  15. 15
    Describing an interval or any compound interval of a unison, octave, or fourths and fifths that are not tritones.
  16. 16
    Made with equal parts of sweet and dry vermouth.
  17. 17
    Well informed; certain; sure.
  18. 18
    Innocent, guiltless; without blemish.
  19. 19
    Sane, of sound mind.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a perfect circle
  2. That bucket with the hole in the bottom is a poor bucket, but it is perfect for watering plants.

Etymology

From Middle English perfit, from Old French parfit (modern: parfait), from Latin perfectus, perfect passive participle of perficere (“to finish”), from per- (“through, thorough”) + facere (“to do, to make”). The spelling was modified in the 15th century to conform to its Latin etymon. Doublet of parfait, perfecto, and perfectus. Displaced native Old English fulfremed.

Synonyms

accurateflawlessfaultlessinfallibleexpertproficientmaturebisexualhermaphroditic

Antonyms

flawedfaultyfaultfulfallibleimperfect

This word in other languages

perfecto(Español)parfait(Français)perfekt(Deutsch)perfeito(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eprfect
  • pefrect
  • perefct
  • perfcet
  • perfecct
  • perfectt
  • perfetc
  • perffect
  • perrfect
  • pperfect

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of perfect - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

eprfect2pefrect2perefct2perfcet2perfecct1perfectt1perfetc2perffect1
Edit distance from "perfect"

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 "perfect"?
"perfect" is spelled P-E-R-F-E-C-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɜː.fɪkt/.
What does "perfect" mean?
As an adjective, "perfect" means: Fitting its definition precisely.
What words are commonly confused with "perfect"?
"perfect" is commonly confused with "pervert", "prefect", "perfectly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "perfect"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "perfect" is /ˈpɜː.fɪkt/. 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 "perfect"?
From Middle English perfit, from Old French parfit (modern: parfait), from Latin perfectus, perfect passive participle of perficere (“to finish”), from per- (“through, thorough”) + facere (“to do, to make”). The spelling was modified in the 15th c... 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 "perfect", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

similar#626English#653parents#622include#620

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

happened10 variantsprivate10 variantsstrong10 variantsrights10 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "perfect". Here's where to go from here.

  • "perfect" maps to 4 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "pervert". View pair
  • 10 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #639 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "P" letter cohort. P–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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