English Word Reference Free

pimple

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

6 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "pimple", 6-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Wiktionary, and usage frequency ranked against an open word-frequency list covering the top 100,000 English words. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "pimple" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "pimple" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

pimple is aEnglishnoun. It means: An inflamed (raised and colored) spot on the surface of the skin that is usually painful and fills with pus. Pronounced /ˈpɪmp(ə)l/. Often confused with pipe and pimps.

Key facts for pimple
PropertyValue
Headwordpimple
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɪmp(ə)l/
Letters6
Frequency rank#35,880
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of pimple in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for pimple is 6 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɪmp(ə)l/. Corpus data places it at rank #35,880 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for pimple, with forms such as "ipmple", "pimlpe", and "pimmple". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "pipe", "pimps", "purple", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Early Modern English pimple, pumple, from Middle English pymple, pympyl, of uncertain origin but probably a nasalized variant of Old English *pipel, *pypel, from Old English piplian, pyplian (“to break out in pimples, show eruptions”), probably related to L… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is pimple, spelled P-I-M-P-L-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    An inflamed (raised and colored) spot on the surface of the skin that is usually painful and fills with pus.
  2. 2
    An annoying person.
  3. 3
    Scotch (whisky)

Etymology

Early Modern English pimple, pumple, from Middle English pymple, pympyl, of uncertain origin but probably a nasalized variant of Old English *pipel, *pypel, from Old English piplian, pyplian (“to break out in pimples, show eruptions”), probably related to Latin papula (“pimple, pustule”) (from Proto-Indo-European *pap- (“pock mark, nipple”)). Akin to Old English pipliġende (“having shingles”).

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ipmple,pimlpe,pimmple,pimpel,pimplle,pimpple,pipmle,pmiple,ppimple

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for pimple

Misspelling Variants of "pimple"

ipmple6pimlpe6pimmple7pimpel6pimplle7pimpple7pipmle6pmiple6
Misspelling Variants of "pimple"

Frequency rank: #35,880 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "pimple"?
"pimple" is spelled P-I-M-P-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɪmp(ə)l/.
What does "pimple" mean?
As a noun, "pimple" means: An inflamed (raised and colored) spot on the surface of the skin that is usually painful and fills with pus.
What words are commonly confused with "pimple"?
"pimple" is commonly confused with "pipe", "pimps", "purple". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pimple"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pimple" is /ˈpɪmp(ə)l/. 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 "pimple"?
Early Modern English pimple, pumple, from Middle English pymple, pympyl, of uncertain origin but probably a nasalized variant of Old English *pipel, *pypel, from Old English piplian, pyplian (“to break out in pimples, show eruptions”), probably re... 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter P in our English index:

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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.