petal

/ˈpɛtl̩/

//ˈpɛtl̩// noun

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

"petal" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“petal” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,596. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,596
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One of the component parts of the corolla of a flower. It applies particularly, but not necessarily only, when the corolla consists of separate parts, that is when the petals are not connately fuse...

Corpus desk

Index EN-petal · petal · English

petal · rank #27,596 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,596
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH perfecting

Nearest frequency peer: perfecting (-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 “petal”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “petal” 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).

petal vs PTA
0% similar
petal vs Pete
40% similar
petal vs pets
60% similar

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

Key facts for petal
PropertyValue
Headwordpetal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɛtl̩/
Letters5
Frequency rank#27,596
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “petal”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “perfecting” (#27,595), “penicillin” (#27,594), “pausing” (#27,593). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “petal” is #27,596. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around petal (IPA /ˈpɛtl̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,596 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for petal, with forms such as "eptal", "peatl", and "petall". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "PTA", "Pete", "pets", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek πέταλον (pétalon), from πέταλος (pétalos, “broad, flat”), from Proto-Hellenic *pétalos, from Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- (“to spread out”), whence Latin pandō and Proto-Germanic *faþmaz (“embrace”) (English fathom). The correct English form is petal, spelled P-E-T-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    One of the component parts of the corolla of a flower. It applies particularly, but not necessarily only, when the corolla consists of separate parts, that is when the petals are not connately fused. Petals are often brightly colored.
  2. 2
    The labia (majora).
  3. 3
    Term of endearment.
  4. 4
    A lobe of a rose (geometric shape).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Dawn held her breath, fearing he'd notice the slight protrusion where her babe rested beneath her heart, but he barely paused as his mouth found the tiny jewel hidden within the dewy petals of her sex.
  2. She is freezing cold. Sputtering. Big eyes wide and wet and red. Too shocked even to cry. 'It's okay, petal, it's okay.'

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek πέταλον (pétalon), from πέταλος (pétalos, “broad, flat”), from Proto-Hellenic *pétalos, from Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- (“to spread out”), whence Latin pandō and Proto-Germanic *faþmaz (“embrace”) (English fathom).

This word in other languages

pétalo(Español)pétale(Français)Blütenblatt(Deutsch)pétala(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eptal
  • peatl
  • petall
  • petla
  • pettal
  • ppetal
  • pteal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of petal - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

eptal2peatl2petall1petla2pettal1ppetal1pteal2
Edit distance from "petal"

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 "petal"?
"petal" is spelled P-E-T-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɛtl̩/.
What does "petal" mean?
As a noun, "petal" means: One of the component parts of the corolla of a flower. It applies particularly, but not necessarily only, when the corolla consists of separate parts, that is when the petals are not connately fuse...
What words are commonly confused with "petal"?
"petal" is commonly confused with "PTA", "Pete", "pets". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "petal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "petal" is /ˈpɛtl̩/. 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 "petal"?
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek πέταλον (pétalon), from πέταλος (pétalos, “broad, flat”), from Proto-Hellenic *pétalos, from Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- (“to spread out”), whence Latin pandō and Proto-Germanic *faþmaz (“embrace”) (English fat... 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 "petal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

poise#27,600Rambo#27,613Raoul#27,615muses#27,576

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

monde7 variantsmerle7 variantssnipe7 variantsSochi7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list