Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

perplex

/pɚˈplɛks/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.88 in modern English

Syllables: per-plex
IPA: /pɚˈplɛks/

18

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To cause to feel baffled; to puzzle.

Transitive verb

verb

To involve; to entangle; to make intricate or complicated.

Transitive verb

verb

To plague; to vex; to torment.

Obsolete; Transitive verb

adj

intricate; difficult

Archaic

noun

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"What was thought obscure, perplexed, and too hard for our weak parts, will lie open to the understanding in a fair view."
"The Ways of Heav’n are dark and intricate, Puzzled in Mazes, and perplext with Errors; Our Underſtanding traces ’em in vain, Loſt and bewilder’d in the fruitleſs Search; […]"
"Chloe's the wonder of her sex, 'Tis well her heart is tender, How might such killing eyes perplex, With virtue to defend her."
"All night no ruder air perplex ⁠Thy sliding keel, till Phosphor, bright ⁠As our pure love, thro’ early light Shall glimmer on the dewy decks."
"How the soul directs the spirits for the motion of the body, according to the several animal exigents, is as perplex in the Theory, as either of the former."
"Finally, I explore possible audience interpretations of the film and offer some alternative reading strategies of these highly perplex sketches."

Etymology

From Old French, from Latin perplexus (“entangled, confused”), from per (“through”) + plexus, perfect passive participle of plectō (“plait, weave, braid”).

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /pɚˈplɛks/
British English: /pəˈplɛks/

Usage

Inflected Forms

perplexes (present, singular) perplexing (participle, present) perplexed (participle, past) perplexed (past) more perplex (comparative) most perplex (superlative) perplexes (plural)

Derived Forms

perplexion perplexly unperplex

Phrases

perplex number

Frequently Paired Words

perplexable perplexation perplexed perplexedness perplexing perplexity perplexment

Synonyms

complicate vex stick get puzzle mystify baffle beat pose bewilder flummox stupefy

Rhymes With

sex same-sex ex checks rex flex decks specs tex lex fedex necks

Questions

How do you pronounce perplex?: The recorded pronunciation is /pɚˈplɛks/.
What does perplex mean?: To cause to feel baffled; to puzzle.
Where does perplex come from?: From Old French, from Latin perplexus (“entangled, confused”), from per (“through”) + plexus, perfect passive participle of plectō (“plait, weave, braid”).

How to pronounce perplex

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