perfume
/ˈpɝfjuːm/noun, verb
perfume is spelled P-E-R-F-U-M-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 5.6 times per million words in written English, the 10,358th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, perfume means “A pleasant smell; the scent, odor, or odoriferous particles emitted from a sweet-smelling substance; a pleasant odor” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of perfume is perfumes.
How many letters and syllables are in perfume?
| Letters | 7: P-E-R-F-U-M-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.6 times per million words; the 10,358th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is perfume?
Perfume appears 5.6 times per million words in written English, the 10,358th 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 perfume?
- UK /ˈpɜːfjuːm/
- US /ˈpɝfjuːm/
- US /pɚˈfjuːm/
Perfume has 2 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-perfume.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of perfume
- perfumes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- perfuming participle, present
- perfumed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does perfume mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A pleasant smell; the scent, odor, or odoriferous particles emitted from a sweet-smelling substance; a pleasant odor.
- 2
A substance created to provide a pleasant smell or one which emits an agreeable odor.
She bought a perfume at the airport.
verb
- 1
To apply perfume to; to fill or impregnate with a perfume; to scent.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Perfume in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | parfum, fragrance , parfumer |
| German | Duft , parfümieren , Parfüm, Duftstoff, Parfum |
| Portuguese | fragrância, perfume, cheiro , perfumar |
| Spanish | aroma , perfumar , perfume |
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 perfume come from?
Borrowed from Middle French parfum, perfum. Doublet of parfum.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).