perilous

/ˈpɛɹ.ɪ.ləs/

//ˈpɛɹ.ɪ.ləs// adj

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

"perilous" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“perilous” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,060. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,060
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Dangerous, full of peril.

Corpus desk

Index EN-perilous · perilous · English

perilous · rank #23,060 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #23,060
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH penitentiary

Nearest frequency peer: penitentiary (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “perilous”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “perilous” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

perilous vs perils
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for perilous
PropertyValue
Headwordperilous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈpɛɹ.ɪ.ləs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#23,060
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “perilous”

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).perilouslands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “penitentiary” (#23,059), “periodicals” (#23,061), “Peking” (#23,058). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “perilous” is #23,060. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around perilous (IPA /ˈpɛɹ.ɪ.ləs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #23,060 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Dangerous, full of peril.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for perilous, with forms such as "eprilous", "peirlous", and "perillous". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "perils", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English perilous, from Old French perilleus, equivalent to peril + -ous, from the noun peril, or from Latin perīculōsus. Doublet of periculous. The correct English form is perilous, spelled P-E-R-I-L-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Dangerous, full of peril.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Three miles or more to our starboard is a low dim line. It is the Eastern shore of Central Africa. We are running to the southward, before the North East Monsoon, between the mainland and the reef that for hundreds of miles fringes this perilous coast.
  2. The effects are already being felt. Gamma radiation is flooding through the gaps; the quick-breeding viruses are mutating through half the world, faster than the Medical Art can control them, so that millions of us are sneezing and choking—and dying, too, for lack of antibiotics and proper care. Air travel is a perilous thing; just today, a stratosphere r…

Etymology

From Middle English perilous, from Old French perilleus, equivalent to peril + -ous, from the noun peril, or from Latin perīculōsus. Doublet of periculous.

This word in other languages

peligroso(Español)périlleux(Français)gefährlich(Deutsch)arriscado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eprilous
  • peirlous
  • perillous
  • perilosu
  • perilouss
  • periluos
  • periolus
  • perlious
  • perrilous
  • pperilous
  • preilous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of perilous - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

eprilous2peirlous2perillous1perilosu2perilouss1periluos2periolus2perlious2
Edit distance from "perilous"

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 "perilous"?
"perilous" is spelled P-E-R-I-L-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɛɹ.ɪ.ləs/.
What does "perilous" mean?
As an adjective, "perilous" means: Dangerous, full of peril.
What words are commonly confused with "perilous"?
"perilous" is commonly confused with "perils". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "perilous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "perilous" is /ˈpɛɹ.ɪ.ləs/. 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 "perilous"?
From Middle English perilous, from Old French perilleus, equivalent to peril + -ous, from the noun peril, or from Latin perīculōsus. Doublet of periculous. 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 "perilous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Passover#23,057nativity#23,048prepping#23,073Monsanto#23,043

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

plucked11 variantsmobilize11 variantsmelanoma11 variantsshelling11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list