periphrastic
/ˌpɛ.ɹɪˈfɹæ.stik/
"periphrastic" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“periphrastic” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Expressed in more words than are necessary.
Corpus desk
Index EN-periphrastic · periphrastic · English
periphrastic · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 12 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 | periphrastic |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˌpɛ.ɹɪˈfɹæ.stik/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “periphrastic” in English
Rare enough to double-check
periphrastic is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌpɛ.ɹɪˈfɹæ.stik/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for periphrastic in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Ancient Greek περιφραστικός (periphrastikós), from περίφρασις (períphrasis, “periphrasis”). The correct English form is periphrastic, spelled P-E-R-I-P-H-R-A-S-T-I-C.
Definition
- 1Expressed in more words than are necessary.
- 2Indirect in naming an entity; circumlocutory.
- 3Characterized by periphrasis.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how periphrastic appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
He wrote a periphrastic love letter to his wife to patch up their relationship.
She was simply asked to express how she felt, but her response was periphrastic.
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek περιφραστικός (periphrastikós), from περίφρασις (períphrasis, “periphrasis”).
This word in other languages
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.