puncture

/ˈpʌŋktʃə/

//ˈpʌŋktʃə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“puncture” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,630. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,630
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act or an instance of puncturing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-puncture · puncture · English

puncture · rank #21,630 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,630
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pulpit

Nearest frequency peer: pulpit (-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 “puncture”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “puncture” 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).

puncture vs picture
75% similar
puncture vs punctual
75% similar

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

Key facts for puncture
PropertyValue
Headwordpuncture
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpʌŋktʃə/
Letters8
Frequency rank#21,630
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “puncture”

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).puncturelands 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 “pulpit” (#21,629), “pueblo” (#21,628), “PSP” (#21,627). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “puncture” is #21,630. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around puncture (IPA /ˈpʌŋktʃə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #21,630 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for puncture, with forms such as "pnucture", "ppuncture", and "pucnture". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "picture", "punctual", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Latin punctūra. The correct English form is puncture, spelled P-U-N-C-T-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act or an instance of puncturing.
  2. 2
    A hole, cut, or tear created by a sharp object.
  3. 3
    A hole in a vehicle's tyre, causing the tyre to deflate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There were two small punctures in his arm where the snake's fangs had pierced the skin.
  2. The lion may perish by the puncture of an asp.

Etymology

From Late Latin punctūra.

This word in other languages

pinchazo(Español)piqûre(Français)Einstich(Deutsch)perfuração(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pnucture
  • ppuncture
  • pucnture
  • punccture
  • punctrue
  • punctture
  • punctuer
  • puncturre
  • puncutre
  • punncture
  • puntcure
  • upncture

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

pnucture2ppuncture1pucnture2punccture1punctrue2punctture1punctuer2puncturre1
Edit distance from "puncture"

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 "puncture"?
"puncture" is spelled P-U-N-C-T-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpʌŋktʃə/.
What does "puncture" mean?
As a noun, "puncture" means: The act or an instance of puncturing.
What words are commonly confused with "puncture"?
"puncture" is commonly confused with "picture", "punctual". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "puncture"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "puncture" is /ˈpʌŋktʃə/. 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 "puncture"?
From Late Latin punctūra. 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 "puncture", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

prologue#21,625renegade#21,637resorted#21,638Paraguay#21,609

Similar misspelling depth

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

overland12 variantssizeable12 variantsspeedway12 variantsMortimer12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list