peril
/ˈpɛɹɪl/noun, verb
peril is spelled P-E-R-I-L: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.5 times per million words in written English, the 17,122nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, peril means “A situation of serious and immediate danger” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of peril is perils.
How many letters and syllables are in peril?
| Letters | 5: P-E-R-I-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.5 times per million words; the 17,122nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is peril?
Peril appears 2.5 times per million words in written English, the 17,122nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce peril?
- /ˈpɛɹɪl/
- /ˈpɛɹəl/
Peril has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-peril.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with peril?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as peril.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: plier.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of peril
- perils plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- periling US, participle, present
- perilling UK, participle, present
- periled US, participle, past
- perilled UK, participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does peril mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A situation of serious and immediate danger.
Your life is in peril.
- 2
Something that causes, contains, or presents danger.
the perils of the jungle (animals and insects, weather, etc.)
- 3
An event which causes a loss, or the risk of a specific such event.
verb
- 1
To cause to be in danger; to imperil; to risk.
And are we, Mr. President, who stood by our country then, who threw open our coffers, who bared our bosoms, who freely perilled all in that conflict, to be reproached with want of attachment to the Union?
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Peril in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does peril come from?
From Middle English peril, from Old French peril, from Latin perīculum. Doublet of periculum.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).