Petrie

name

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

The verdict

“Petrie” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #30,175 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#30,175
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A surname transferred from the given name.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Petrie vs petrol
50% similar
Petrie vs Petrov
67% similar
Petrie vs putrid
50% similar

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

Key facts for Petrie
PropertyValue
HeadwordPetrie
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
Letters6
Frequency rank#30,175
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Petrie” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Petrie is 6 letters long, classified as a proper noun. Corpus data places it at rank #30,175 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A surname transferred from the given name.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for Petrie, with forms such as "eptrie", "pertie", and "petire". 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 16 confusable-pair relationships, "petrol", "Petrov", "putrid", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From a Scots diminutive form of Peter and Patrick. The correct English form is Petrie, spelled P-E-T-R-I-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A surname transferred from the given name.

Etymology

From a Scots diminutive form of Peter and Patrick.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: eptrie,pertie,petire,petrei,petrrie,pettrie,ppetrie,pterie

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Petrie - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

eptrie2pertie2petire2petrei2petrrie1pettrie1ppetrie1pterie2
Edit distance from "Petrie"

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 "Petrie"?
"Petrie" is spelled P-E-T-R-I-E.
What does "Petrie" mean?
As a proper noun, "Petrie" means: A surname transferred from the given name.
What words are commonly confused with "Petrie"?
"Petrie" is commonly confused with "petrol", "Petrov", "putrid". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "Petrie"?
From a Scots diminutive form of Peter and Patrick. 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.

Using “Petrie”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-E-T-R-I-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “petrol” - see the side-by-side comparison. Petrie vs petrol
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list