Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

perl

/pˈɝl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.97 in modern English

Syllables: perl
IPA: /pˈɝl/

6

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A family of high-level programming languages, particularly used for text processing.

Example Sentences

"Perl attracted the attention of Unix system administrators, who needed a language that was easier to use than the C programming language and more powerful than scripting languages such as Borne^([sic]) and C-shell."

Etymology

A respelling of its original name Pearl, a reference to Matthew 13:46. A common backronymic explanation is “Practical Extraction and Reporting Language”.

Derived Forms

Perlish

Frequently Paired Words

Raku

Homonyms

pearle

Rhymes With

girl earl pearl curl swirl earle merle whirl hurl searle twirl whorl

Questions

How do you pronounce perl?: The recorded pronunciation is /pˈɝl/.
What does perl mean?: A family of high-level programming languages, particularly used for text processing.
Where does perl come from?: A respelling of its original name Pearl, a reference to Matthew 13:46. A common backronymic explanation is “Practical Extraction and Reporting Language”.

How to pronounce perl

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