periphrase
/ˈpɛɹi.fɹeɪz/
"periphrase" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“periphrase” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The use of more words than are necessary to express the idea; a roundabout, or indirect, way of speaking; circumlocution.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | periphrase |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpɛɹi.fɹeɪz/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “periphrase” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for periphrase is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɛɹi.fɹeɪz/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "The use of more words than are necessary to express the idea; a roundabout, or indirect, way of speaking; circumlocution.".
periphrase has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin periphrasis from Ancient Greek περίφρασις (períphrasis), from περιφράζομαι (periphrázomai, “I consider all sides of an issue”), from περί (perí, “around”) + φράζω (phrázō, “I show, point out”). See phrase. The correct English form is periphrase, spelled P-E-R-I-P-H-R-A-S-E.
Definition
- 1The use of more words than are necessary to express the idea; a roundabout, or indirect, way of speaking; circumlocution.
Etymology
From Latin periphrasis from Ancient Greek περίφρασις (períphrasis), from περιφράζομαι (periphrázomai, “I consider all sides of an issue”), from περί (perí, “around”) + φράζω (phrázō, “I show, point out”). See phrase.
Synonyms
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “periphrase”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-E-R-I-P-H-R-A-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpɛɹi.fɹeɪz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.