pimento

/pɪˈmɛntəʊ/

//pɪˈmɛntəʊ// noun

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

"pimento" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pimento” is uncommon English (frequency #75,299 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#75,299
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A red sweet pepper, a cultivar of Capsicum annuum, used to make relish, stuffed into olives, or used as spice.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pimento · pimento · English

pimento · rank #75,299 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #75,299
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Pillay

Nearest frequency peer: Pillay (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “pimento”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “pimento” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for pimento
PropertyValue
Headwordpimento
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɪˈmɛntəʊ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#75,299
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “pimento” in English

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).pimentofalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Pillay” (#75,298), “pimpernel” (#75,300), “pigeonhole” (#75,297). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pimento” is #75,299. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

pimento is uncommon English at frequency #75,299 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /pɪˈmɛntəʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for pimento in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Portuguese pimento (“bell pepper; later any pepper”), similar to Spanish pimiento, from Latin pigmentum (“coloring; colorful thing”), from pingo (“paint”) and -mentum (suffix denoting instruments and results of actions). Doublet of pigment, pi… The correct English form is pimento, spelled P-I-M-E-N-T-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A red sweet pepper, a cultivar of Capsicum annuum, used to make relish, stuffed into olives, or used as spice.
  2. 2
    A tropical berry used to make allspice.
  3. 3
    The tree on which it grows.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. In the Middle Ages, for instance, a recipe for sex stimulation required the putrefied flesh of a human corpse, together with both human and animal testes and ovaries, pimento, and alcohol.

Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese pimento (“bell pepper; later any pepper”), similar to Spanish pimiento, from Latin pigmentum (“coloring; colorful thing”), from pingo (“paint”) and -mentum (suffix denoting instruments and results of actions). Doublet of pigment, piment, and pimiento.

Synonyms

cherry pepperpimientoSpanish paprikaallspice

This word in other languages

pimentón(Español)Piment(Deutsch)pimento(Português)

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 "pimento"?
"pimento" is spelled P-I-M-E-N-T-O. The IPA pronunciation is /pɪˈmɛntəʊ/.
What does "pimento" mean?
As a noun, "pimento" means: A red sweet pepper, a cultivar of Capsicum annuum, used to make relish, stuffed into olives, or used as spice.
How do you pronounce "pimento"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pimento" is /pɪˈmɛntəʊ/. 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 "pimento"?
Borrowed from Portuguese pimento (“bell pepper; later any pepper”), similar to Spanish pimiento, from Latin pigmentum (“coloring; colorful thing”), from pingo (“paint”) and -mentum (suffix denoting instruments and results of actions). Doublet of p... 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 "pimento", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

plainer#75,303Phinney#75,292phaeton#75,289Perumal#75,286

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list