pertain
/pəˈteɪn/
"pertain" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“pertain” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #33,788 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #33,788
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To belong to or be connected as a part, adjunct, attribute, or accessory.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | pertain |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /pəˈteɪn/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #33,788 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “pertain” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for pertain is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pəˈteɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #33,788 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for pertain, with forms such as "eprtain", "peratin", and "perrtain". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Perrin", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English pertenen, from Old French partenir, pertenir (modern French appartenir), in turn from Latin pertineō, pertinēre. The correct English form is pertain, spelled P-E-R-T-A-I-N.
Definition
- 1To belong to or be connected as a part, adjunct, attribute, or accessory.
- 2To relate to, concern, or be relevant to.
- 3To apply; to be or remain in place; to continue to be applicable.
- 4To be appropriate or suitable.
Etymology
From Middle English pertenen, from Old French partenir, pertenir (modern French appartenir), in turn from Latin pertineō, pertinēre.
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: eprtain,peratin,perrtain,pertainn,pertani,pertian,perttain,petrain,ppertain,pretain
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pertain - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "pertain"?
What does "pertain" mean?
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Using “pertain”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-E-R-T-A-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /pəˈteɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Perrin” - see the side-by-side comparison. pertain vs Perrin
- 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.