pierce

/pɪɹs/

//pɪɹs// verb

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

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

The verdict

“pierce” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,958. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,958
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To puncture; to break through.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pierce · pierce · English

pierce · rank #7,958 · 7 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,958
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Perth

Nearest frequency peer: Perth (-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 “pierce”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “pierce” 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).

pierce vs Piers
50% similar
pierce vs Pierre
67% similar
pierce vs pierced
86% similar

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

Key facts for pierce
PropertyValue
Headwordpierce
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pɪɹs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#7,958
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pierce”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).piercelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Perth” (#7,957), “pistol” (#7,959), “printer” (#7,960). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pierce” is #7,958. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around pierce (IPA /pɪɹs/), averb. Corpus frequency is #7,958 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for pierce, with forms such as "iperce", "piecre", and "piercce". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "Piers", "Pierre", "pierced", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English perce, from conjugated forms of Old French percier such as (jeo) pierce (“I pierce”), probably from Vulgar Latin *pertūsiō, from Latin pertūsus, past participle of pertundō (“thrust or bore through”), from per- (“through”) + tundō (“beat… The correct English form is pierce, spelled P-I-E-R-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To puncture; to break through.
  2. 2
    To create a hole in the skin for the purpose of inserting jewelry.
  3. 3
    to break or interrupt abruptly
  4. 4
    To get to the heart or crux of (a matter).
  5. 5
    To penetrate; to affect deeply.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The diver pierced the surface of the water with scarcely a splash.
  2. to pierce the enemy's line; a shot pierced the ship

Etymology

From Middle English perce, from conjugated forms of Old French percier such as (jeo) pierce (“I pierce”), probably from Vulgar Latin *pertūsiō, from Latin pertūsus, past participle of pertundō (“thrust or bore through”), from per- (“through”) + tundō (“beat, pound”). Displaced native Old English þȳrlian (literally “to hole”).

This word in other languages

perforar(Español)percer(Français)durchstechen(Deutsch)furar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iperce
  • piecre
  • piercce
  • pierec
  • pierrce
  • pirece
  • ppierce

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pierce - 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.

iperce2piecre2piercce1pierec2pierrce1pirece2ppierce1
Edit distance from "pierce"

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 "pierce"?
"pierce" is spelled P-I-E-R-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pɪɹs/.
What does "pierce" mean?
As a verb, "pierce" means: To puncture; to break through.
What words are commonly confused with "pierce"?
"pierce" is commonly confused with "Piers", "Pierre", "pierced". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pierce"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pierce" is /pɪɹs/. 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 "pierce"?
From Middle English perce, from conjugated forms of Old French percier such as (jeo) pierce (“I pierce”), probably from Vulgar Latin *pertūsiō, from Latin pertūsus, past participle of pertundō (“thrust or bore through”), from per- (“through”) + tu... 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 "pierce", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pistol#7,959occupy#7,950mentor#7,940shells#7,976

Similar misspelling depth

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

prone7 variantssonic7 variantsspine7 variantsguild7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list