peruse

/pəˈɹuːz/

//pəˈɹuːz// verb

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

"peruse" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“peruse” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,385. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,385
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To examine or consider with care.

Corpus desk

Index EN-peruse · peruse · English

peruse · rank #40,385 · 8 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #40,385
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH periodontal

Nearest frequency peer: periodontal (-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 “peruse”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “peruse” 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).

peruse vs purse
67% similar
peruse vs prose
67% similar
peruse vs prune
67% similar

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

Key facts for peruse
PropertyValue
Headwordperuse
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pəˈɹuːz/
Letters6
Frequency rank#40,385
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “peruse”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).peruselands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “periodontal” (#40,384), “petulant” (#40,386), “phenomenology” (#40,387). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “peruse” is #40,385. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around peruse (IPA /pəˈɹuːz/), averb. Corpus frequency is #40,385 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for peruse, with forms such as "epruse", "perruse", and "persue". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "purse", "prose", "prune", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From either Medieval Latin perūtor, perūsitō (“wear out”)) or Anglo-Norman peruser (“use up”)), originally leading to two concurrent meanings, but only those derived from "to examine" survive today. By surface analysis, per- + use. The correct English form is peruse, spelled P-E-R-U-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To examine or consider with care.
  2. 2
    To read completely.
  3. 3
    To look over casually; to skim.
  4. 4
    To go from place to place; to wander.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Sitting on a low stool, a few yards from her arm-chair, I examined her figure; I perused her features.
  2. This survey may be made by perusing al Books and taking notice of all Mechanicall Inventions.

Etymology

From either Medieval Latin perūtor, perūsitō (“wear out”)) or Anglo-Norman peruser (“use up”)), originally leading to two concurrent meanings, but only those derived from "to examine" survive today. By surface analysis, per- + use.

This word in other languages

examinar(Español)examiner(Français)studieren(Deutsch)examinar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • epruse
  • perruse
  • persue
  • perues
  • perusse
  • peurse
  • pperuse
  • preuse

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of peruse - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

epruse2perruse1persue2perues2perusse1peurse2pperuse1preuse2
Edit distance from "peruse"

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 "peruse"?
"peruse" is spelled P-E-R-U-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pəˈɹuːz/.
What does "peruse" mean?
As a verb, "peruse" means: To examine or consider with care.
What words are commonly confused with "peruse"?
"peruse" is commonly confused with "purse", "prose", "prune". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "peruse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "peruse" is /pəˈɹuːz/. 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 "peruse"?
From either Medieval Latin perūtor, perūsitō (“wear out”)) or Anglo-Norman peruser (“use up”)), originally leading to two concurrent meanings, but only those derived from "to examine" survive today. By surface analysis, per- + use. 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 "peruse", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

piqued#40,391pacify#40,378nicked#40,359mullah#40,353

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

salina8 variantsSalome8 variantsSheena8 variantsLawrie8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list