perplex
/pɚˈplɛks/verb
perplex is spelled P-E-R-P-L-E-X: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 13 million words in written English, the 109,062nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, perplex means “To cause to feel baffled; to puzzle” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in perplex?
| Letters | 7: P-E-R-P-L-E-X |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 13 million words; the 109,062nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is perplex?
Perplex appears about once in every 13 million words in written English, the 109,062nd 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 perplex?
- US /pɚˈplɛks/
- UK /pəˈplɛks/
Perplex has 2 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: En-us-perplex.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with perplex?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as perplex from its last stressed vowel (/ɛks/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of perplex
- perplexes present, singular, he/she/it
- perplexing participle, present
- perplexed participle, past
- more perplex comparative
- most perplex superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does perplex mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To cause to feel baffled; to puzzle.
- 2
To involve; to entangle; to make intricate or complicated.
- 3
obsoleteTo plague; to vex; to torment.
adjective
- 1
archaicintricate; difficult
noun
- 1
obsoleteA difficulty.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Perplex in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to cause to feel baffled:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | déconcerter, troubler, dérouter |
| German | verwirren |
| Portuguese | pasmar, desconcertar, vexar |
| Spanish | perplejizar, dejar perplejo |
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 perplex come from?
From Old French, from Latin perplexus (“entangled, confused”), from per (“through”) + plexus, perfect passive participle of plectō (“plait, weave, braid”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).