periwinkle

/ˈpɛɹ.ɪˌwɪŋ.kəl/

//ˈpɛɹ.ɪˌwɪŋ.kəl// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"periwinkle" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“periwinkle” is uncommon English (frequency #60,356 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,356
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of several evergreen plants of the genus Vinca with blue or white flowers.

Corpus desk

Index EN-periwinkle · periwinkle · English

periwinkle · rank #60,356 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,356
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH perestroika

Nearest frequency peer: perestroika (-1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “periwinkle”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “periwinkle” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for periwinkle
PropertyValue
Headwordperiwinkle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɛɹ.ɪˌwɪŋ.kəl/
Letters10
Frequency rank#60,356
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “periwinkle” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).periwinklefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “perestroika” (#60,355), “perpetuation” (#60,358), “Pellegrino” (#60,351). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “periwinkle” is #60,356. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

periwinkle is uncommon English at frequency #60,356 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɛɹ.ɪˌwɪŋ.kəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for periwinkle in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Diminutive of Middle English perwinke, from Old English perfince, perwince (compare Middle High German berwinke), from Latin pervinca (compare French pervenche, Italian pervinca). The correct English form is periwinkle, spelled P-E-R-I-W-I-N-K-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several evergreen plants of the genus Vinca with blue or white flowers.
  2. 2
    Similar plants of genus Catharanthus.
  3. 3
    A color with bluish and purplish hues, somewhat light.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how periwinkle appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The Periwinkle is a great binder, staying bleeding both at mouth and nose if some of the leaves be chewed.
  2. He that vvould diſcern the rudimentall ſtroak of a plant, may behold it in the Originall of Duckvveed, at the bigneſſe of a pins point, from convenient vvater in glaſſes, vvherein a vvatchfull eye may alſo diſcover the puncticular Originals of Perivvincles and Gnats.

Etymology

Diminutive of Middle English perwinke, from Old English perfince, perwince (compare Middle High German berwinke), from Latin pervinca (compare French pervenche, Italian pervinca).

Synonyms

myrtlevincacreeping myrtle

This word in other languages

pervenche(Français)Immergrün(Deutsch)

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 "periwinkle"?
"periwinkle" is spelled P-E-R-I-W-I-N-K-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɛɹ.ɪˌwɪŋ.kəl/.
What does "periwinkle" mean?
As a noun, "periwinkle" means: Any of several evergreen plants of the genus Vinca with blue or white flowers.
How do you pronounce "periwinkle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "periwinkle" is /ˈpɛɹ.ɪˌwɪŋ.kəl/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "periwinkle"?
Diminutive of Middle English perwinke, from Old English perfince, perwince (compare Middle High German berwinke), from Latin pervinca (compare French pervenche, Italian pervinca). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "periwinkle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Pellegrino#60,351Pleasanton#60,374pleasuring#60,375polycystic#60,382

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list