perforate

/ˈpəːfəreɪt/

//ˈpəːfəreɪt// verb

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

"perforate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“perforate” is uncommon English (frequency #92,994 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#92,994
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To pierce; to penetrate.

Corpus desk

Index EN-perforate · perforate · English

perforate · rank #92,994 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #92,994
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH perfidy

Nearest frequency peer: perfidy (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “perforate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “perforate” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for perforate
PropertyValue
Headwordperforate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈpəːfəreɪt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#92,994
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “perforate” in English

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).perforatefalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “perfidy” (#92,993), “permalink” (#92,996), “penknife” (#92,991). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “perforate” is #92,994. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

perforate is uncommon English at frequency #92,994 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈpəːfəreɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

perforate doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: The adjective is first attested in 1425, in Middle English, the verb in 1538; from Middle English perforat(e) (“perforated, pierced”), borrowed from Latin perforātus, the perfect passive participle of perforō (“to bore or pierce through, to perforate”) (see… The correct English form is perforate, spelled P-E-R-F-O-R-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To pierce; to penetrate.
  2. 2
    To make a line of holes in (a thin material) to allow separation at the line.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. to perforate a sheet of postage stamps

Etymology

The adjective is first attested in 1425, in Middle English, the verb in 1538; from Middle English perforat(e) (“perforated, pierced”), borrowed from Latin perforātus, the perfect passive participle of perforō (“to bore or pierce through, to perforate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from per- (“through, thorough”) + forō (“to bore, pierce”). Participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

This word in other languages

perforar(Español)perforieren(Deutsch)perfurar(Português)

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 "perforate"?
"perforate" is spelled P-E-R-F-O-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpəːfəreɪt/.
What does "perforate" mean?
As a verb, "perforate" means: To pierce; to penetrate.
How do you pronounce "perforate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "perforate" is /ˈpəːfəreɪt/. 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 "perforate"?
The adjective is first attested in 1425, in Middle English, the verb in 1538; from Middle English perforat(e) (“perforated, pierced”), borrowed from Latin perforātus, the perfect passive participle of perforō (“to bore or pierce through, to perfor... 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 "perforate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

permalink#92,996pedagogue#92,988phenology#93,001phosphine#93,005

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list