pericardium

/ˌpɛɹɪˈkɑː(ɹ)di.əm/

//ˌpɛɹɪˈkɑː(ɹ)di.əm// noun

"pericardium" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pericardium” is uncommon English (frequency #84,605 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#84,605
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A serous membrane that surrounds the heart allowing it to contract.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pericardium · pericardium · English

pericardium · rank #84,605 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #84,605
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pendulous

Nearest frequency peer: pendulous (-2 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 “pericardium”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for pericardium
PropertyValue
Headwordpericardium
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌpɛɹɪˈkɑː(ɹ)di.əm/
Letters11
Frequency rank#84,605
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “pericardium” 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).pericardiumfalls 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: “pendulous” (#84,603), “Petrovic” (#84,607), “physiognomy” (#84,608). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pericardium” is #84,605. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

pericardium is uncommon English at frequency #84,605 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌpɛɹɪˈkɑː(ɹ)di.əm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A serous membrane that surrounds the heart allowing it to contract.".

Zero misspellings are on record for pericardium in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek περικάρδιον (perikárdion). The correct English form is pericardium, spelled P-E-R-I-C-A-R-D-I-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A serous membrane that surrounds the heart allowing it to contract.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The Pericardium is sometimes swelled, as overcharged with too great a quantity of Serous Liquor, making a kind of Dropsie […]

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek περικάρδιον (perikárdion).

Synonyms

heart sactheca cordis

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "pericardium"?
"pericardium" is spelled P-E-R-I-C-A-R-D-I-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌpɛɹɪˈkɑː(ɹ)di.əm/.
What does "pericardium" mean?
As a noun, "pericardium" means: A serous membrane that surrounds the heart allowing it to contract.
How do you pronounce "pericardium"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pericardium" is /ˌpɛɹɪˈkɑː(ɹ)di.əm/. 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 "pericardium"?
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek περικάρδιον (perikárdion). 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 "pericardium", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list