Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

perky

/ˈpɝki/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.95 in modern English

Syllables: perky
IPA: /ˈpɝki/

14

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Lively and often cheerful and enthusiastic.

adj

Standing upright; firm.

adj

Early-ripening.

Obsolete

noun

Alternative spelling of percy (“Percocet pill”).

Example Sentences

"She answered with a perky smile and bounced off."
"The plant looks much perkier since I watered it."
"perky breasts"

Etymology

Etymology tree English perk Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English perky From perk + -y.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈpɝki/

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

perkier (comparative) perkiest (superlative) perkies (plural)

Derived Forms

parky perkily perkiness perkyish unperky

Phrases

perk up

Frequently Paired Words

perk perk up

Synonyms

buoyant chirpy

Homonyms

percy

Rhymes With

turkey quirky murky jerky berkey durkee pearcy purkey burkey gerke perkey shirkey

Questions

How do you pronounce perky?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɝki/.
What does perky mean?: Lively and often cheerful and enthusiastic.
Where does perky come from?: Etymology tree English perk Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English perky From perk + -y.

How to pronounce perky

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “perky”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpɝki/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “perky”.
Repeat and practice — Say “perky” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.