perverse
/pɚˈvɝs/
"perverse" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“perverse” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #22,766 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #22,766
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Turned aside while against something, splitting off from a thing.
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 | perverse |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /pɚˈvɝs/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #22,766 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “perverse” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for perverse is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pɚˈvɝs/. Corpus data places it at rank #22,766 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for perverse, with forms such as "eprverse", "perevrse", and "perrverse". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "pervert", "perverted", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English perverse, pervers, from Old French pervers, from Latin perversum (“thoroughly turned”), past participle of pervertere, from per- (“thoroughly”) + vertere (“to turn”). The correct English form is perverse, spelled P-E-R-V-E-R-S-E.
Definition
- 1Turned aside while against something, splitting off from a thing.
- 2Morally wrong or evil; wicked; perverted.
- 3Obstinately in the wrong; stubborn; intractable.
- 4Wayward; vexing; contrary.
- 5Ignoring the evidence or the judge's opinions.
Etymology
From Middle English perverse, pervers, from Old French pervers, from Latin perversum (“thoroughly turned”), past participle of pervertere, from per- (“thoroughly”) + vertere (“to turn”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: eprverse,perevrse,perrverse,perveres,perverrse,perversse,pervesre,pervrese,pervverse,pevrerse,pperverse,preverse
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of perverse - 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 "perverse"?
What does "perverse" mean?
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Using “perverse”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-E-R-V-E-R-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /pɚˈvɝs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “pervert” - see the side-by-side comparison. perverse vs pervert
- 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.