perplexity

/pəˈplɛksɪti/

//pəˈplɛksɪti// noun

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

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

The verdict

“perplexity” is uncommon English (frequency #80,752 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#80,752
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state or quality of being perplexed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-perplexity · perplexity · English

perplexity · rank #80,752 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #80,752
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH permittivity

Nearest frequency peer: permittivity (-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 “perplexity”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for perplexity
PropertyValue
Headwordperplexity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pəˈplɛksɪti/
Letters10
Frequency rank#80,752
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “perplexity” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).perplexityfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “permittivity” (#80,751), “pervasiveness” (#80,753), “pericardial” (#80,750). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “perplexity” is #80,752. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

perplexity is uncommon English at frequency #80,752 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /pəˈplɛksɪti/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for perplexity, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English perplexite, borrowed from Middle French perplexité or post-classical Latin perplexitās, from perplexus (“entangled”). By surface analysis, perplex + -ity. The correct English form is perplexity, spelled P-E-R-P-L-E-X-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state or quality of being perplexed.
  2. 2
    Something that perplexes.
  3. 3
    A measure of how well a probability distribution or model predicts a sample.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The Emperor, who was by then a focus of unresolvable perplexities, stood providing a strongly contrary appearance.

Etymology

From Middle English perplexite, borrowed from Middle French perplexité or post-classical Latin perplexitās, from perplexus (“entangled”). By surface analysis, perplex + -ity.

This word in other languages

perplejidad(Español)perplexité(Français)Perplexität(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 "perplexity"?
"perplexity" is spelled P-E-R-P-L-E-X-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /pəˈplɛksɪti/.
What does "perplexity" mean?
As a noun, "perplexity" means: The state or quality of being perplexed.
How do you pronounce "perplexity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "perplexity" is /pəˈplɛksɪti/. 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 "perplexity"?
From Middle English perplexite, borrowed from Middle French perplexité or post-classical Latin perplexitās, from perplexus (“entangled”). By surface analysis, perplex + -ity. 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 "perplexity", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Pascagoula#80,745parenchyma#80,743poliovirus#80,764portentous#80,768

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list