purslane

/ˈpɜːslən/

//ˈpɜːslən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“purslane” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of the family Portulacaceae (order Caryophyllales) of succulent plants.

Key facts for purslane
PropertyValue
Headwordpurslane
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɜːslən/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “purslane” sits in English frequency

purslane falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

purslane is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɜːslən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 9 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for purslane in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French porcelaine, probably an alteration of Latin porcilaca (“purslane”) (related to portulaca (“purslane”)) to assimilate it with porcelaine (“porcelain”). The correct English form is purslane, spelled P-U-R-S-L-A-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of the family Portulacaceae (order Caryophyllales) of succulent plants.
  2. 2
    Any of the family Portulacaceae (order Caryophyllales) of succulent plants.
  3. 3
    Any of the family Portulacaceae (order Caryophyllales) of succulent plants.
  4. 4
    Any of similar plants in other families in order Caryophyllales
  5. 5
    Any of similar plants in other families in order Caryophyllales
  6. 6
    Any of similar plants in other families in order Caryophyllales
  7. 7
    Any of similar plants in other families in order Caryophyllales
  8. 8
    Any of similar plants in other families in order Caryophyllales
  9. 9
    Any of similar plants in other families in order Caryophyllales

Etymology

From Old French porcelaine, probably an alteration of Latin porcilaca (“purslane”) (related to portulaca (“purslane”)) to assimilate it with porcelaine (“porcelain”).

Synonyms

common purslanegarden purslanelittle hogweedpigweedpusleypussleyverdolaga

This word in other languages

verdolaga(Español)pourpier(Français)Portulak(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "purslane"?
"purslane" is spelled P-U-R-S-L-A-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɜːslən/.
What does "purslane" mean?
As a noun, "purslane" means: Any of the family Portulacaceae (order Caryophyllales) of succulent plants.
How do you pronounce "purslane"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "purslane" is /ˈpɜːslən/. 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 "purslane"?
From Old French porcelaine, probably an alteration of Latin porcilaca (“purslane”) (related to portulaca (“purslane”)) to assimilate it with porcelaine (“porcelain”). 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.

Using “purslane”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-U-R-S-L-A-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpɜːslən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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