perfectionism

/pəˈfɛk.ʃ(ə).nɪ.z(ə)m/

//pəˈfɛk.ʃ(ə).nɪ.z(ə)m// noun

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

"perfectionism" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“perfectionism” has 20 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #49,544. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#49,544
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
20
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An unwillingness to settle for anything less than perfection.

Corpus desk

Index EN-perfectionism · perfectionism · English

perfectionism · rank #49,544 · 20 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #49,544
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 20 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH perforation

Nearest frequency peer: perforation (+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 “perfectionism”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “perfectionism” 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).

perfectionism vs perfectionist
92% similar

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

Key facts for perfectionism
PropertyValue
Headwordperfectionism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pəˈfɛk.ʃ(ə).nɪ.z(ə)m/
Letters13
Frequency rank#49,544
Misspellings tracked20
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “perfectionism”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).perfectionismlands 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 “perforation” (#49,545), “periodicity” (#49,546), “personals” (#49,547). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “perfectionism” is #49,544. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 20 spelling variants around perfectionism (IPA /pəˈfɛk.ʃ(ə).nɪ.z(ə)m/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #49,544 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 20 likely wrong-spelling variants for perfectionism, with forms such as "eprfectionism", "pefrectionism", and "perefctionism". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "perfectionist", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From perfection + -ism. The correct English form is perfectionism, spelled P-E-R-F-E-C-T-I-O-N-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    An unwillingness to settle for anything less than perfection.
  2. 2
    A belief that spiritual perfection may be achieved during life, or that it should be striven for.

Etymology

From perfection + -ism.

This word in other languages

perfectionnisme(Français)Perfektionismus(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eprfectionism
  • pefrectionism
  • perefctionism
  • perfcetionism
  • perfecctionism
  • perfecitonism
  • perfectinoism
  • perfectioinsm
  • perfectionims
  • perfectionismm
  • perfectionissm
  • perfectionnism
  • perfectionsim
  • perfectoinism
  • perfecttionism
  • perfetcionism
  • perffectionism
  • perrfectionism
  • pperfectionism
  • prefectionism

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eprfectionism2pefrectionism2perefctionism2perfcetionism2perfecctionism1perfecitonism2perfectinoism2perfectioinsm2
Edit distance from "perfectionism"

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 "perfectionism"?
"perfectionism" is spelled P-E-R-F-E-C-T-I-O-N-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /pəˈfɛk.ʃ(ə).nɪ.z(ə)m/.
What does "perfectionism" mean?
As a noun, "perfectionism" means: An unwillingness to settle for anything less than perfection.
What words are commonly confused with "perfectionism"?
"perfectionism" is commonly confused with "perfectionist". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "perfectionism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "perfectionism" is /pəˈfɛk.ʃ(ə).nɪ.z(ə)m/. 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 "perfectionism"?
From perfection + -ism. 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 "perfectionism", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pseudoscience#49,571irrepressible#49,431accelerometer#49,750bidirectional#49,791

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (20 here; floor ≥5).

initialization20 variantsbacktracking20 variantsbioengineering20 variantscontemptible20 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list