perspicuous
/pəˈspɪkjuːəs/
"perspicuous" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“perspicuous” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Clearly expressed, easy to understand; lucid.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | perspicuous |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /pəˈspɪkjuːəs/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “perspicuous” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for perspicuous is 11 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pəˈspɪkjuːəs/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for perspicuous, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin perspicuus, in turn from perspiciō (“see through”). The correct English form is perspicuous, spelled P-E-R-S-P-I-C-U-O-U-S.
Definition
- 1Clearly expressed, easy to understand; lucid.
- 2(Of a language or notation) the process of inference from premises to conclusion is explicitly laid out.
- 3That can be seen through clearly; that lets light through.
Etymology
From Latin perspicuus, in turn from perspiciō (“see through”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “perspicuous”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-E-R-S-P-I-C-U-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /pəˈspɪkjuːəs/ (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.