peridot

/ˈpɛɹ.ɪ.dɒt/

//ˈpɛɹ.ɪ.dɒt// noun

"peridot" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“peridot” is uncommon English (frequency #53,161 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,161
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A transparent olive green form of olivine, used as a gem.

Corpus desk

Index EN-peridot · peridot · English

peridot · rank #53,161 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #53,161
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH peculiarity

Nearest frequency peer: peculiarity (-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 “peridot”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for peridot
PropertyValue
Headwordperidot
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɛɹ.ɪ.dɒt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#53,161
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “peridot” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).peridotfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “peculiarity” (#53,159), “phaser” (#53,163), “Pde” (#53,158). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “peridot” is #53,161. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

peridot is uncommon English at frequency #53,161 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɛɹ.ɪ.dɒt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

peridot has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. 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 peritot, from Anglo-Norman peridou, peridout, Middle French perido, peridon, of uncertain origin; later reborrowed from modern French péridot. The correct English form is peridot, spelled P-E-R-I-D-O-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A transparent olive green form of olivine, used as a gem.
  2. 2
    A yellow-green color, like that of the peridot.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Gem-quality olivine is known as peridot, which has a subtle green light all its own.
  2. Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are […]. (Common gem materials not addressed in this article include amber, amethyst, chalcedony, garnet, lazurite, malachite, opals, peridot, rhodonite, spinel, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.)

Etymology

From Middle English peritot, from Anglo-Norman peridou, peridout, Middle French perido, peridon, of uncertain origin; later reborrowed from modern French péridot.

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 "peridot"?
"peridot" is spelled P-E-R-I-D-O-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɛɹ.ɪ.dɒt/.
What does "peridot" mean?
As a noun, "peridot" means: A transparent olive green form of olivine, used as a gem.
How do you pronounce "peridot"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "peridot" is /ˈpɛɹ.ɪ.dɒt/. 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 "peridot"?
From Middle English peritot, from Anglo-Norman peridou, peridout, Middle French perido, peridon, of uncertain origin; later reborrowed from modern French péridot. 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 "peridot", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list