pertain

/pəˈteɪn/

//pəˈteɪn// verb

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

"pertain" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pertain” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,788. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,788
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To belong to or be connected as a part, adjunct, attribute, or accessory.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pertain · pertain · English

pertain · rank #33,788 · 10 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #33,788
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pecking

Nearest frequency peer: pecking (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “pertain”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “pertain” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

pertain vs Perrin
57% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for pertain
PropertyValue
Headwordpertain
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pəˈteɪn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#33,788
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pertain”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).pertainlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “pecking” (#33,787), “pesto” (#33,789), “PCA” (#33,786). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pertain” is #33,788. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around pertain (IPA /pəˈteɪn/), averb. Corpus frequency is #33,788 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    To belong to or be connected as a part, adjunct, attribute, or accessory.
  2. 2
    To relate to, concern, or be relevant to.
  3. 3
    To apply; to be or remain in place; to continue to be applicable.
  4. 4
    To be appropriate or suitable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. That spare wheel pertains to this car.
  2. That question doesn't pertain to the topic, so I'm not going to answer it.

Etymology

From Middle English pertenen, from Old French partenir, pertenir (modern French appartenir), in turn from Latin pertineō, pertinēre.

Synonyms

appertainaffectbear uponbear onconcernimpactinvolvepertainreferregardrelatetouch

Antonyms

be irrelevanthave no businessnot concern

This word in other languages

pertenecer(Español)appartenir(Français)gehören(Deutsch)pertencer(Português)

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.

eprtain2peratin2perrtain1pertainn1pertani2pertian2perttain1petrain2
Edit distance from "pertain"

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"?
"pertain" is spelled P-E-R-T-A-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /pəˈteɪn/.
What does "pertain" mean?
As a verb, "pertain" means: To belong to or be connected as a part, adjunct, attribute, or accessory.
What words are commonly confused with "pertain"?
"pertain" is commonly confused with "Perrin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pertain"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pertain" is /pəˈteɪn/. 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 "pertain"?
From Middle English pertenen, from Old French partenir, pertenir (modern French appartenir), in turn from Latin pertineō, pertinēre. 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 "pertain", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pecking#33,787parched#33,781Overton#33,776primacy#33,801

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

pulaski10 variantsomitting10 variantsOdysseus10 variantsreagent10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list