per se

phrase

The verdict

“per se” is uncommon Portuguese (outside the top frequency list), classed as a phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency Portuguese
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - por si

Corpus desk

Index PT-per-se · per se · Portuguese

per se · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for per se
PropertyValue
Headwordper se
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechPhrase
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cauda longa: rank de “per se” em português

per sefica fora das 100.000 palavras portuguesas mais frequentes, na cauda longa de vocabulário técnico, arcaico ou raro, onde a dúvida ortográfica aperta.

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

Rare enough to double-check

per se is uncommon Portuguese outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "por si".

per se doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular Portuguese conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct Portuguese form is per se, spelled P-E-R- -S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    por si

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. O objetivo da norma constitucional é evitar julgamentos meramente “político-partidários”, pois o presidente da República não pode – diferentemente do regime parlamentarista – ser afastado do cargo antes do término do mandato por moção de desconfiança do Parlamento. E o presidente poderá ser absolvido no processo penal, mas condenado no processo de impeach…

Synonyms

por si

This word in other languages

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 "per se"?
"per se" is spelled P-E-R- -S-E.
What does "per se" mean?
As a phrase, "per se" means: por si
What language does "per se" come from?
"per se" is a Portuguese word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list