perfectionist

/pɚˈfɛk.ʃənɪst/

//pɚˈfɛk.ʃənɪst// noun

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

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

The verdict

“perfectionist” has 20 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,362. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,362
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
20
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Someone who is unwilling to settle for anything that is not perfect or does not meet extremely high standards.

Corpus desk

Index EN-perfectionist · perfectionist · English

perfectionist · rank #33,362 · 20 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #33,362
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 20 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pennant

Nearest frequency peer: pennant (-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 “perfectionist”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “perfectionist” 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).

perfectionist vs perfectionism
92% similar

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

Key facts for perfectionist
PropertyValue
Headwordperfectionist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɚˈfɛk.ʃənɪst/
Letters13
Frequency rank#33,362
Misspellings tracked20
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “perfectionist”

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).perfectionistlands 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 “pennant” (#33,361), “pelt” (#33,360), “Pattinson” (#33,359). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “perfectionist” is #33,362. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 20 spelling variants around perfectionist (IPA /pɚˈfɛk.ʃənɪst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #33,362 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 20 likely wrong-spelling variants for perfectionist, with forms such as "eprfectionist", "pefrectionist", and "perefctionist". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "perfectionism", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

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

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone who is unwilling to settle for anything that is not perfect or does not meet extremely high standards.
  2. 2
    Someone who thinks that religious or moral perfection can be attained in this life.
  3. 3
    One of the Bible Communists or Free-lovers, a small American sect founded by J. H. Noyes (1811-86), which settled at Oneida in 1848, holding that the gospel if accepted secures freedom from sin.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. I have read in some of our perfectionists enough to make a better man than myself either run into madness or despair about the grace you mention […].

Etymology

From perfection + -ist.

This word in other languages

perfeccionista(Español)perfectionniste(Français)Perfektionist(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eprfectionist
  • pefrectionist
  • perefctionist
  • perfcetionist
  • perfecctionist
  • perfecitonist
  • perfectinoist
  • perfectioinst
  • perfectionisst
  • perfectionistt
  • perfectionits
  • perfectionnist
  • perfectionsit
  • perfectoinist
  • perfecttionist
  • perfetcionist
  • perffectionist
  • perrfectionist
  • pperfectionist
  • prefectionist

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eprfectionist2pefrectionist2perefctionist2perfcetionist2perfecctionist1perfecitonist2perfectinoist2perfectioinst2
Edit distance from "perfectionist"

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 "perfectionist"?
"perfectionist" is spelled P-E-R-F-E-C-T-I-O-N-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /pɚˈfɛk.ʃənɪst/.
What does "perfectionist" mean?
As a noun, "perfectionist" means: Someone who is unwilling to settle for anything that is not perfect or does not meet extremely high standards.
What words are commonly confused with "perfectionist"?
"perfectionist" is commonly confused with "perfectionism". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "perfectionist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "perfectionist" is /pɚˈfɛk.ʃənɪst/. 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 "perfectionist"?
From perfection + -ist. 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 "perfectionist", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

hallucination#33,265transactional#33,462transcendence#33,463transgression#33,464

Similar misspelling depth

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

Internationale20 variantscontemplative20 variantsconspicuously20 variantspsychopathic20 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list