perfection
/pɚˈfɛk.ʃən/noun, verb
perfection is spelled P-E-R-F-E-C-T-I-O-N: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 9.8 times per million words in written English, the 7,224th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, perfection means “The quality or state of being perfect or complete, so that nothing substandard remains; the highest attainable state or degree of excellence” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of perfection is perfections.
How many letters and syllables are in perfection?
| Letters | 10: P-E-R-F-E-C-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 9.8 times per million words; the 7,224th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is perfection?
Perfection appears 9.8 times per million words in written English, the 7,224th 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 perfection?
- US /pɚˈfɛk.ʃən/
Perfection has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-perfection.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with perfection?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as perfection from its last stressed vowel (/ɛkʃən/):
- section
- direction
- detection
- complexion
- deflection
- interconnection
- imperfection
- flexion
- interjection
- dejection
- circumspection
- bisection
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of perfection
- perfections plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- perfectioning participle, present
- perfectioned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does perfection mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The quality or state of being perfect or complete, so that nothing substandard remains; the highest attainable state or degree of excellence.
near-perfection
- 2
A quality, endowment, or acquirement completely excellent; an ideal; faultlessness; especially, the divine attribute of complete excellence.
- 3
The process or act of establishing official recognition for a legal claim, generally in the context of security interests.
verb
- 1
nonstandardTo perfect.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Perfection in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense being perfect:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | perfection |
| German | Vollkommenheit, Perfektion |
| Portuguese | perfeição |
| Spanish | perfección |
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 perfection come from?
From Middle English perfeccioun, from Old French perfection, from Latin perfectiō. By surface analysis, perfect + -ion. Displaced native Old English fulfremednes.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).