perishable
/ˈpɛ.ɹɪ.ʃə.bəl/adjective, noun
perishable is spelled P-E-R-I-S-H-A-B-L-E: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,998th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, perishable means “Liable to perish, especially naturally subject to quick decomposition or decay” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in perishable?
| Letters | 10: P-E-R-I-S-H-A-B-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,998th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is perishable?
Perishable appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,998th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce perishable?
- /ˈpɛ.ɹɪ.ʃə.bəl/
Perishable has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-perishable.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of perishable
- more perishable comparative
- most perishable superlative
- perishables plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does perishable mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Liable to perish, especially naturally subject to quick decomposition or decay.
perishable goods
noun
- 1
That which perishes or is short-lived.
- 2
Food that does not keep for long.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Perishable in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | périssable , denrées périssables |
| German | verderblich, leichtverderblich, vergänglich, kurzlebig, begrenzt haltbar , Vergängliches |
| Portuguese | perecível |
| Spanish | perecedero, caduco, efímero, perecible, fallidero |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does perishable come from?
From Middle English *persishable, perysabyl, equivalent to perish + -able. Compare Old French perissable (and modern French périssable).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).