perplexed
per·plexed/pɚˈplɛkst/adjective, verb
perplexed is spelled P-E-R-P-L-E-X-E-D: 9 letters and 2 syllables (per·plexed). It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,150th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, perplexed means “Confused or puzzled” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in perplexed?
| Letters | 9: P-E-R-P-L-E-X-E-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: per·plexed |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,150th 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; 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 perplexed?
Perplexed appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,150th 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 perplexed?
- US /pɚˈplɛkst/
- UK /pəˈplɛkst/
Perplexed has 2 syllables, split per·plexed in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-perplexed.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with perplexed?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as perplexed from its last stressed vowel (/ɛkst/):
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 perplexed
- more perplexed comparative
- most perplexed superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does perplexed mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Confused or puzzled.
The scientists were perplexed by the new discovery.
- 2
Bewildered.
- 3
obsoleteEntangled; labyrinthine.
verb
- 1
simple past and past participle of perplex
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Perplexed in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | perplexe |
| German | perplex, verdutzt , verblüfft |
| Portuguese | perplexo |
| Spanish | (with “estar” or “quedar”) perplejo , de perplejidad |
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.