purge

/pɜːd͡ʒ/

//pɜːd͡ʒ// verb

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

"purge" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“purge” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,590. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,590
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To clean thoroughly; to rid of impurities; to cleanse.

Corpus desk

Index EN-purge · purge · English

purge · rank #13,590 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,590
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH procession

Nearest frequency peer: procession (-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 “purge”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “purge” 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).

purge vs puri
60% similar
purge vs purr
60% similar
purge vs pyre
60% similar

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

Key facts for purge
PropertyValue
Headwordpurge
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pɜːd͡ʒ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#13,590
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “purge”

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).purgelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “procession” (#13,589), “reacts” (#13,591), “pretended” (#13,588). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “purge” is #13,590. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around purge (IPA /pɜːd͡ʒ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #13,590 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for purge, with forms such as "ppurge", "pruge", and "pugre". 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, "puri", "purr", "pyre", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English purgen, from Old French purgier, from Latin pūrgō (“I make pure, I cleanse”), from pūrus (“clean, pure”) + agō (“I make, I do”). The correct English form is purge, spelled P-U-R-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To clean thoroughly; to rid of impurities; to cleanse.
  2. 2
    To remove by cleansing; to wash away.
  3. 3
    To free from sin, guilt, or burden.
  4. 4
    To evacuate (the bowels or the stomach); to defecate or vomit.
  5. 5
    To cause someone to purge; to operate (on somebody) using a cathartic or emetic, or in a similar manner.
  6. 6
    To forcibly remove, for example, from political activity.
  7. 7
    To forcibly remove people by an organization.
  8. 8
    To clear of a charge, suspicion, or imputation.
  9. 9
    To clarify; to clear the dregs from (liquor).
  10. 10
    To become pure, as by clarification.
  11. 11
    To have or produce frequent evacuations from the intestines, as by means of a cathartic.
  12. 12
    To trim, dress, or prune.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. After the process, the machine purges the chamber before venting it to remove toxic gases.
  2. Purge away our sins, for thy name’s sake.

Etymology

From Middle English purgen, from Old French purgier, from Latin pūrgō (“I make pure, I cleanse”), from pūrus (“clean, pure”) + agō (“I make, I do”).

This word in other languages

purgar(Español)éliminer(Français)säubern(Deutsch)purgar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ppurge
  • pruge
  • pugre
  • pureg
  • purgge
  • purrge
  • uprge

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of purge - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ppurge1pruge2pugre2pureg2purgge1purrge1uprge2
Edit distance from "purge"

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 "purge"?
"purge" is spelled P-U-R-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pɜːd͡ʒ/.
What does "purge" mean?
As a verb, "purge" means: To clean thoroughly; to rid of impurities; to cleanse.
What words are commonly confused with "purge"?
"purge" is commonly confused with "puri", "purr", "pyre". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "purge"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "purge" is /pɜːd͡ʒ/. 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 "purge"?
From Middle English purgen, from Old French purgier, from Latin pūrgō (“I make pure, I cleanse”), from pūrus (“clean, pure”) + agō (“I make, I do”). 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 "purge", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

rhino#13,593Peggy#13,583mummy#13,567McCoy#13,564

Similar misspelling depth

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

rubbed7 variantsoffend7 variantsJorge7 variantsvenom7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list