purple
/ˈpɝ.pl̩/noun, adjective, verb
purple is spelled P-U-R-P-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 21 times per million words in written English, the 4,153rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, purple means “A colour between red and blue; violet, though often closer to magenta” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of purple is purples.
How many letters and syllables are in purple?
| Letters | 6: P-U-R-P-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 21 times per million words; the 4,153rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is purple?
Purple appears 21 times per million words in written English, the 4,153rd 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 purple?
- UK /ˈpɜː.pl̩/
- US /ˈpɝ.pl̩/
- /ˈpøːpl̩/
Purple has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-purple.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of purple
- purples plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- purpler comparative
- more purple comparative
- purplest superlative
- most purple superlative
- purpling participle, present
- purpled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does purple mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A colour between red and blue; violet, though often closer to magenta.
- 2
Any non-spectral colour on the line of purples on a colour chromaticity diagram or a colour wheel between violet and red.
- 3
Cloth, or a garment, dyed a purple colour; especially, a purple robe, worn as an emblem of rank or authority; specifically, the purple robe or mantle worn by Ancient Roman emperors as the emblem of imperial dignity.
to put on the imperial purple
- 4
Imperial power.
- 5
Any of various species of mollusks from which Tyrian purple dye was obtained, especially the common dog whelk.
- 6
The purple haze cultivar of cannabis in the kush family, either pure or mixed with others, or by extension any variety of smoked marijuana.
- 7
Purpura.
- 8
Earcockle, a disease of wheat.
adjective
- 1
Of a purple hue.
- 2
USNot predominantly red or blue, but having a mixture of Democrat and Republican support.
purple state
- 3
Mixed between social democrats and liberals.
- 4
Imperial; regal.
- 5
Blood-red; bloody.
- 6
Of language, extravagantly ornate, like purple prose.
Near-synonyms: flowery, overwrought
- 7
Of a sector, lap, etc., completed in the fastest time so far in a given session.
verb
- 1
To turn purple in colour.
- 2
To dye purple.
- 3
To clothe in purple.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate purple?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of purple: PLE.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Purple in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense colour:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | violet, pourpre |
| German | lila, purpur, violett, purpurn, purpurrot |
| Portuguese | roxo, púrpura, violeta |
| Spanish | morado, púrpura, múrice, purpúreo, purpurino, coccíneo |
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 purple come from?
From Middle English purple, purpel, from Old English purpul (“purple”, adjective), taken from Old English purpure (“purple colour”, noun), from Latin purpura (“purple dye, shellfish”), from Ancient Greek πορφύρα (porphúra, “purple-fish”), perhaps of Semitic origin. Doublet of purpura and purpure. The sense of "imperial power" is from the wearing of the color purple by emperors and kings.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).