pure

/ˈpjʊə(ɹ)/

//ˈpjʊə(ɹ)// adj

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

"pure" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pure” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,308. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,308
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Free of flaws or imperfections; unsullied.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pure · pure · English

pure · rank #2,308 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,308
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH properly

Nearest frequency peer: properly (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “pure”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “pure” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

pure vs put
50% similar
pure vs pus
50% similar
pure vs pye
50% similar

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

Key facts for pure
PropertyValue
Headwordpure
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈpjʊə(ɹ)/
Letters4
Frequency rank#2,308
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pure” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).pure lands 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. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around pure (IPA /ˈpjʊə(ɹ)/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #2,308 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for pure, with forms such as "ppure", "prue", and "puer". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "put", "pus", "pye", 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 pure, pur, from Old French pur, from Latin pūrus (“clean, free from dirt or filth, unmixed, plain”), from Proto-Indo-European *pewH- (“to cleanse, purify”). Displaced native Middle English lutter (“pure, clear, sincere”) (from Old Englis… The correct English form is pure, spelled P-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Free of flaws or imperfections; unsullied.
  2. 2
    Free of foreign material or pollutants.
  3. 3
    Free of immoral behavior or qualities; clean.
  4. 4
    Mere; that and that only.
  5. 5
    Done for its own sake instead of serving another branch of science.
  6. 6
    Of a single, simple sound or tone; said of some vowels and the unaspirated consonants.
  7. 7
    Without harmonics or overtones; not harsh or discordant.
  8. 8
    Having no side effects.
  9. 9
    A lot of.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Such was the origin of a friendship as warm and pure as any that ancient or modern history records.
  2. A guinea is pure gold if it has in it no alloy.

Etymology

From Middle English pure, pur, from Old French pur, from Latin pūrus (“clean, free from dirt or filth, unmixed, plain”), from Proto-Indo-European *pewH- (“to cleanse, purify”). Displaced native Middle English lutter (“pure, clear, sincere”) (from Old English hlūtor, hluttor), Middle English skere (“pure, sheer, clear”) (from Old English scǣre and Old Norse skǣr), Middle English schir (“clear, pure”) (from Old English scīr), Middle English smete, smeate (“pure, refined”) (from Old English smǣte; compare Old English mǣre (“pure”)).

Synonyms

chastecherrycleanflawlesshalalidealimmaculatekoshernaturalperfectpristinepuresimon-pureunadulterateduncontaminatedundefiledunpollutedunsullieduntainteduntouchedvirgin

Antonyms

adulteratedcontaminateddefileddenatureddirtied/dirtyfilthyflawedharamimpurepollutedsulliedtaintedtreyfunclean

This word in other languages

puro(Español)pur(Français)pur(Deutsch)puro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ppure
  • prue
  • puer
  • purre
  • upre

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ppure1prue2puer2purre1upre2
Edit distance from "pure"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "pure"?
"pure" is spelled P-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpjʊə(ɹ)/.
What does "pure" mean?
As an adjective, "pure" means: Free of flaws or imperfections; unsullied.
What words are commonly confused with "pure"?
"pure" is commonly confused with "put", "pus", "pye". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pure"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pure" is /ˈpjʊə(ɹ)/. 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 "pure"?
From Middle English pure, pur, from Old French pur, from Latin pūrus (“clean, free from dirt or filth, unmixed, plain”), from Proto-Indo-European *pewH- (“to cleanse, purify”). Displaced native Middle English lutter (“pure, clear, sincere”) (from ... 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 "pure", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fill#2,297Tony#2,321bird#2,329bowl#2,332

Similar misspelling depth

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

quiet5 variantsmeat5 variantsmode5 variantsfake5 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "pure". Here's where to go from here.

  • "pure" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "put". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #2,308 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "P" letter cohort. P–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list