perfunctory
/pəˈfʌŋk.t(ə)ɹɪ/
"perfunctory" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“perfunctory” is uncommon English (frequency #56,357 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #56,357
- frequency rank, English
- 4,417
- “P” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Done only or merely to conform to a minimal standard or to fulfill a protocol or presumptive duty.
Corpus desk
Index EN-perfunctory · perfunctory · English
perfunctory · rank #56,357 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #56,357
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 4,417
- PHOTO-FINISH percussionist
Nearest frequency peer: percussionist (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “perfunctory”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- penmanship
penmanship
43,648 corpus weight
- perc
perc
43,647 corpus weight
- Perce
Perce
43,646 corpus weight
- percussioni…
percussionist
43,645 corpus weight
- perfunctory
perfunctory
43,644 corpus weight
- phenyl
phenyl
43,640 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “perfunctory” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | perfunctory |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /pəˈfʌŋk.t(ə)ɹɪ/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #56,357 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “perfunctory” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
perfunctory is uncommon English at frequency #56,357 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /pəˈfʌŋk.t(ə)ɹɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for perfunctory, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Latin perfunctōrius (“careless, negligent”), from the past participial stem of perfungor, perfunct- (“perform, carry through”), from per- + fungor. The correct English form is perfunctory, spelled P-E-R-F-U-N-C-T-O-R-Y.
Definition
- 1Done only or merely to conform to a minimal standard or to fulfill a protocol or presumptive duty.
- 2Performed in a careless or indifferent manner as a thing of rote.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how perfunctory appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
I caught the gist of what he was saying--which in effect was that he had found and captured this Galu, that she was his and that he defied anyone to question his right of possession. It appeared to me, as I afterward learned was the fact, that I was witnessing the most primitive of marriage ceremonies. The assembled members of the tribe looked on and list…
He then poured some wine for me to taste, and harassed me with perfunctory courtesies that had to be acknowledged.
Etymology
From Late Latin perfunctōrius (“careless, negligent”), from the past participial stem of perfungor, perfunct- (“perform, carry through”), from per- + fungor.
This word in other languages
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "perfunctory"?
What does "perfunctory" mean?
How do you pronounce "perfunctory"?
What is the origin of the word "perfunctory"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "perfunctory", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
What to do next
You've looked up "perfunctory". Here's where to go from here.
- Usage frequency rank #56,357 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more English words in the "P" letter cohort. P–Z browse
- PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.