purl
/pɝl/noun, verb
purl is spelled P-U-R-L: 4 letters. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 71,529th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, purl means “A particular stitch in knitting in which the working yarn is pulled through an existing stitch from front to back” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of purl is purls.
How many letters and syllables are in purl?
| Letters | 4: P-U-R-L |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 71,529th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is purl?
Purl appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 71,529th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce purl?
- UK /pɜːl/
- UK [pʰəːɫ]
- US /pɝl/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-purl.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-purl.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with purl
Sounds like: pearl (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with purl?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as purl from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹl/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of purl
- purls plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- purling participle, present
- purled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does purl mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A particular stitch in knitting in which the working yarn is pulled through an existing stitch from front to back.
- 2
The edge of lace trimmed with loops.
- 3
An embroidered and puckered border; a hem or fringe, often of gold or silver twist; also, a pleat or fold, as of a band.
- 4
a heavy or headlong fall; an upset.
- 5
UKA circle made by the motion of a fluid; an eddy; a ripple.
- 6
UKA gentle murmuring sound, such as that produced by the running of a liquid among obstructions.
the purl of a brook
- 7
UKarchaicAle or beer spiced with wormwood or other bitter herbs, regarded as a tonic.
- 8
UKarchaicHot beer mixed with gin, sugar, and spices.
verb
- 1
To decorate with fringe or embroidered edge
Needlework purled with gold.
- 2
To use or create a purl stitch or stitches.
Knit one, purl two.
- 3
To flow with a murmuring sound in swirls and eddies.
- 4
To rise in circles, ripples, or undulations; to curl; to mantle.
- 5
archaicTo upset, to spin, capsize, fall heavily, fall headlong.
The huntsman was purled from his horse.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate purl?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of purl: p.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Purl in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a particular stitch in knitting:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | maille à l’envers |
| German | linke Masche |
| Portuguese | ponto tricô |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does purl come from?
Unknown; apparently related to Scots and dialect pirl (“twist, ripple, whirl, spin”), and possibly to Older Scots pyrl ("thrust or poke at"). Compare Venetan pirlo, an embellishment where the woven threads are twisted together. May be unrelated to purfle, though the meanings are similar.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).