petulant

/ˈpɛt͡ʃʊlənt/

//ˈpɛt͡ʃʊlənt// adj

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

"petulant" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“petulant” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,386. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,386
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Childishly irritable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-petulant · petulant · English

petulant · rank #40,386 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #40,386
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH peruse

Nearest frequency peer: peruse (-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 “petulant”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “petulant” 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
Key facts for petulant
PropertyValue
Headwordpetulant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈpɛt͡ʃʊlənt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#40,386
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “petulant”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).petulantlands 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 “peruse” (#40,385), “phenomenology” (#40,387), “periodontal” (#40,384). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “petulant” is #40,386. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around petulant (IPA /ˈpɛt͡ʃʊlənt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #40,386 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for petulant, with forms such as "eptulant", "petluant", and "pettulant". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French, from Latin petulāns, akin to petō (“to ask for”). The correct English form is petulant, spelled P-E-T-U-L-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Childishly irritable.
  2. 2
    Forward; pert; insolent; wanton.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Lack of sleep is causing Dave's recent petulant behavior.
  2. But when your praying has troubled the silence long it may be that some god as he strolls in Pegāna’s glades may come on one of our lost prayers, that flutters like a butterfly tossed in storm when all its wings are broken; then if the gods be merciful they may ease our fears in Sidith, or else they may crush us, being petulant gods, and so we shall see t…

Etymology

From Middle French, from Latin petulāns, akin to petō (“to ask for”).

This word in other languages

petulante(Español)irascible(Français)gereizt(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eptulant
  • petluant
  • pettulant
  • petualnt
  • petulannt
  • petulantt
  • petulatn
  • petullant
  • petulnat
  • peutlant
  • ppetulant
  • pteulant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eptulant2petluant2pettulant1petualnt2petulannt1petulantt1petulatn2petullant1
Edit distance from "petulant"

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 "petulant"?
"petulant" is spelled P-E-T-U-L-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɛt͡ʃʊlənt/.
What does "petulant" mean?
As an adjective, "petulant" means: Childishly irritable.
What are common misspellings of "petulant"?
Common misspellings include "eptulant", "petluant", "pettulant", "petualnt", "petulannt". The correct spelling is "petulant".
How do you pronounce "petulant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "petulant" is /ˈpɛt͡ʃʊlənt/. 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 "petulant"?
From Middle French, from Latin petulāns, akin to petō (“to ask for”). 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 "petulant", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

paraffin#40,380overrule#40,376pretence#40,401Priyanka#40,402

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

powerball12 variantsrevoking12 variantsmournful12 variantsmisnomer12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list