periodical
/ˌpɪɹiˈɑdɪkl̩/
"periodical" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“periodical” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #24,270 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #24,270
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A publication issued regularly, but less frequently than daily.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | periodical |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌpɪɹiˈɑdɪkl̩/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #24,270 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “periodical” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for periodical is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌpɪɹiˈɑdɪkl̩/. Corpus data places it at rank #24,270 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for periodical, with forms such as "epriodical", "peirodical", and "peridoical". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "periodicals", "periodically", "periodic", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From period + -ical. The correct English form is periodical, spelled P-E-R-I-O-D-I-C-A-L.
Definition
- 1A publication issued regularly, but less frequently than daily.
- 2A regularly issued thematic publication that contains the most current information in its field, often the primary means for communication of original scholarship or creative work at the cutting edge of research in its field.
Etymology
From period + -ical.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: epriodical,peirodical,peridoical,periodcial,perioddical,periodiacl,periodicall,periodiccal,periodicla,perioidcal,peroidical,perriodical,pperiodical,preiodical
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of periodical - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "periodical"?
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Using “periodical”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-E-R-I-O-D-I-C-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌpɪɹiˈɑdɪkl̩/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “periodicals” - see the side-by-side comparison. periodical vs periodicals
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.