perpendicular
/ˌpɜː.pənˈdɪk.jə.lə(ɹ)/
"perpendicular" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“perpendicular” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #19,935 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #19,935
- frequency rank, English
- 13
- letters
- 20
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - At or forming a right angle (to something).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | perpendicular |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˌpɜː.pənˈdɪk.jə.lə(ɹ)/ |
| Letters | 13 |
| Frequency rank | #19,935 |
| Misspellings tracked | 20 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “perpendicular” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for perpendicular is 13 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌpɜː.pənˈdɪk.jə.lə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,935 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 20 likely wrong-spelling variants for perpendicular, with forms such as "eprpendicular", "peprendicular", and "perepndicular". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: Derived from Middle French perpendiculaire, from Old French perpendiculer, from Latin perpendiculum (“plumb line”). The correct English form is perpendicular, spelled P-E-R-P-E-N-D-I-C-U-L-A-R.
Definition
- 1At or forming a right angle (to something).
- 2Exactly upright; extending in a straight line toward the centre of the earth, etc.
- 3Independent of or irrelevant to each other; orthogonal.
Etymology
Derived from Middle French perpendiculaire, from Old French perpendiculer, from Latin perpendiculum (“plumb line”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: eprpendicular,peprendicular,perepndicular,perpednicular,perpendciular,perpenddicular,perpendiccular,perpendicluar,perpendicualr,perpendicularr,perpendicullar,perpendiculra,perpendiuclar,perpenidcular,perpenndicular,perpnedicular,perppendicular,perrpendicular,pperpendicular,prependicular
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of perpendicular - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "perpendicular"?
What does "perpendicular" mean?
What are common misspellings of "perpendicular"?
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Using “perpendicular”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-E-R-P-E-N-D-I-C-U-L-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌpɜː.pənˈdɪk.jə.lə(ɹ)/ (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.