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 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#84,605
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A serous membrane that surrounds the heart allowing it to contract.

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)

Where “pericardium” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). pericardium lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

pericardium is uncommon English at frequency #84,605 among 46,516 “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.

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.

Using “pericardium”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-E-R-I-C-A-R-D-I-U-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌpɛɹɪˈkɑː(ɹ)di.əm/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list