peter
pe·ter/ˈpitɚ/noun, verb
peter is spelled P-E-T-E-R: 5 letters and 2 syllables (pe·ter). It appears 76 times per million words in written English, the 1,394th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, peter means “The penis” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of peter is peters.
How many letters and syllables are in peter?
| Letters | 5: P-E-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: pe·ter |
| In writing | 76 times per million words; the 1,394th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is peter?
Peter appears 76 times per million words in written English, the 1,394th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce peter?
- UK /ˈpiːtə/
- US /ˈpitɚ/
Peter has 2 syllables, split pe·ter in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-Peter.ogg, En-au-peter.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with peter
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: ptr (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Also written: pete.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with peter?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as peter from its last stressed vowel (/itəɹ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: petre.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of peter
- peters plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- petering participle, present
- petered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does peter mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
slangThe penis.
- 2
UKslangA safe.
- 3
UKslangA prison cell.
verb
- 1
Chiefly followed by out: originally (mining), of a vein of ore: to be depleted of ore; now (generally), to diminish to nothing; to dwindle, to trail off.
I found a veinlet about 15 in. wide and very rich in gold. Trenching along its outcrop showed that it extended about 100 ft. and then pinched out altogether. A winze sunk on the veinlet showed that it "petered out" entirely at 25 or 30 ft.
- 2
Synonym of blue peter; to call for trump by throwing away a high card while holding a lower one.
noun
- 1
radiotelephony clear-code word for the letter P.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Peter in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense slang: penis – see also penis:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | pênis |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does peter come from?
US, 1902, presumably from shared initial pe-. Compare the use of other men’s names as slang terms for the penis, e.g., dick, willy, johnson, John Thomas, etc.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).