perihelion

/ˌpɛɹ.ɪˈhiː.lɪ.ən/

//ˌpɛɹ.ɪˈhiː.lɪ.ən// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"perihelion" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“perihelion” is uncommon English (frequency #77,080 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,080
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The point in the elliptical orbit of a comet, planet, etc., where it is nearest to the Sun.

Corpus desk

Index EN-perihelion · perihelion · English

perihelion · rank #77,080 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #77,080
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH perchlorate

Nearest frequency peer: perchlorate (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “perihelion”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for perihelion
PropertyValue
Headwordperihelion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌpɛɹ.ɪˈhiː.lɪ.ən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#77,080
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “perihelion” 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).perihelionfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “perchlorate” (#77,079), “peripherally” (#77,081), “penman” (#77,078). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “perihelion” is #77,080. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

perihelion is uncommon English at frequency #77,080 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌpɛɹ.ɪˈhiː.lɪ.ən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

perihelion doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *sóh₂wl̥ From perihelium (“perihelion”) (obsolete) + -ion (suffix used for other names of apsides). Perihelium is borrowed from Late Latin perihelium, from Ancient Greek περι- (peri-, “around; surrounding”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pe… The correct English form is perihelion, spelled P-E-R-I-H-E-L-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The point in the elliptical orbit of a comet, planet, etc., where it is nearest to the Sun.
  2. 2
    The highest point or state; the peak, zenith.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The æquation of the Earth encreaſeth from her Aphelion, until ſhe come to the point where it's greateſt, and from thence it again decreaſeth till ſhe come to her Perihelion, or oppoſite Auge: in like manner it increaſeth from her Perihelion to the point where it's greateſt, and afterwards decreaſeth till ſhe come againe to the Auge or Aphelion, [...]
  2. They [the best astronomers of this age] all agree that the Planets turn in ſo many Ellipſes, of which the Sun is the focus; the reaſon of it is, that they are obſerved to be in ſome points called Perihelia, nearer to the Sun, and, in the oppoſite points call'd Aphelia, farther from it; which could not be, if they mov'd in a perfect circle.

Etymology

PIE word *sóh₂wl̥ From perihelium (“perihelion”) (obsolete) + -ion (suffix used for other names of apsides). Perihelium is borrowed from Late Latin perihelium, from Ancient Greek περι- (peri-, “around; surrounding”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“before, in front; first”)) + ἥλιος (hḗlios, “sun”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sóh₂wl̥ (“sun”)), which was modelled after perigeum (“point in an orbit about the Earth that is closest to the Earth, perigee”).

This word in other languages

perihelio(Español)périhélie(Français)Perihel(Deutsch)periélio(Português)

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 "perihelion"?
"perihelion" is spelled P-E-R-I-H-E-L-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌpɛɹ.ɪˈhiː.lɪ.ən/.
What does "perihelion" mean?
As a noun, "perihelion" means: The point in the elliptical orbit of a comet, planet, etc., where it is nearest to the Sun.
How do you pronounce "perihelion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "perihelion" is /ˌpɛɹ.ɪˈhiː.lɪ.ən/. 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 "perihelion"?
PIE word *sóh₂wl̥ From perihelium (“perihelion”) (obsolete) + -ion (suffix used for other names of apsides). Perihelium is borrowed from Late Latin perihelium, from Ancient Greek περι- (peri-, “around; surrounding”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-Eu... 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 "perihelion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

photometry#77,086phrenology#77,087pleasingly#77,098oligarchic#77,048

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list