perhaps
/pəˈhæps/
"perhaps" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“perhaps” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #854 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.
- #854
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Possibly.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | perhaps |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | /pəˈhæps/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #854 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “perhaps” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for perhaps is 7 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pəˈhæps/. Corpus data places it at rank #854 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for perhaps, with forms such as "eprhaps", "pehraps", and "perahps". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English perhappes, perhappous, variant of earlier perhap (“perhaps, possibly”), equivalent to per + hap (“chance, coincidence”) + -s, on model of Middle English parchaunce (modern perchance). The correct English form is perhaps, spelled P-E-R-H-A-P-S.
Definition
- 1Possibly.
- 2By chance.
Etymology
From Middle English perhappes, perhappous, variant of earlier perhap (“perhaps, possibly”), equivalent to per + hap (“chance, coincidence”) + -s, on model of Middle English parchaunce (modern perchance).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: eprhaps,pehraps,perahps,perhapps,perhapss,perhasp,perhhaps,perhpas,perrhaps,pperhaps,prehaps
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of perhaps - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “perhaps”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-E-R-H-A-P-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /pəˈhæps/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.