perception

\pɛʁ.sɛp.sjɔ̃\

/\pɛʁ.sɛp.sjɔ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“perception” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #5,058 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,058
frequency rank, French
10
letters
15
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Acte par lequel le sujet prend connaissance des objets qui ont fait impression sur ses sens.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

perception vs perfection
80% similar
perception vs péremption
70% similar
perception vs perceptions
91% similar

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

Key facts for perception
PropertyValue
Headwordperception
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pɛʁ.sɛp.sjɔ̃\
Letters10
Frequency rank#5,058
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “perception” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). perception lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for perception is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pɛʁ.sɛp.sjɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #5,058 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for perception, with forms such as "eprception", "pecreption", and "percception". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "perfection", "péremption", "perceptions", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is perception, spelled P-E-R-C-E-P-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Acte par lequel le sujet prend connaissance des objets qui ont fait impression sur ses sens.
  2. 2
    Connaissance que prend le sujet de ses états de conscience.
  3. 3
    Ce que l’esprit perçoit.
  4. 4
    Recette, recouvrement des impositions.
  5. 5
    Recette, recouvrement des impositions.
  6. 6
    Recette, recouvrement des impositions.

This word in other languages

collection(English)Finanzamt(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: eprception,pecreption,percception,percepiton,percepption,perceptino,perceptionn,perceptoin,percepttion,percetpion,percpetion,perecption,perrception,pperception,preception

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of perception - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

eprception2pecreption2percception1percepiton2percepption1perceptino2perceptionn1perceptoin2
Edit distance from "perception"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "perception"?
"perception" is spelled P-E-R-C-E-P-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \pɛʁ.sɛp.sjɔ̃\.
What does "perception" mean?
As a noun, "perception" means: Acte par lequel le sujet prend connaissance des objets qui ont fait impression sur ses sens.
What words are commonly confused with "perception"?
"perception" is commonly confused with "perfection", "péremption", "perceptions". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "perception"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "perception" is \pɛʁ.sɛp.sjɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "perception" come from?
"perception" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “perception”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-E-R-C-E-P-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pɛʁ.sɛp.sjɔ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “perfection” - see the side-by-side comparison. perception vs perfection
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list