periphrase
/ˈpɛɹi.fɹeɪz/
"periphrase" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“periphrase” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The use of more words than are necessary to express the idea; a roundabout, or indirect, way of speaking; circumlocution.
Corpus desk
Index EN-periphrase · periphrase · English
periphrase · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 10 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "P" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| 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) |
Long-tail rank of “periphrase” in English
Rare enough to double-check
periphrase is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɛɹi.fɹeɪz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "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.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how periphrase appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
1821, Thomas De Quincey, John Paul Frederick Richter (published in London Magazine To describe all those on whom the fates of Troy hinged , by enigmatic periphrases
He held up the condition of the Church in the terrible mirror of his unflinching speech, which called things by their right names and dealt in no polite periphrases[…]
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.