Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

per

/pɜː/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.45 in modern English

Syllables: per
IPA: /pɜː/

5

Scrabble Score

3

Letters

1

Syllables

3

Unique Chars

Meaning

prep

For each.

prep

To each, in each (used in expressing ratios of units).

prep

By the, through the (with name of body part in Latin).

prep

In accordance with, as per.

prep

pron

They (singular). Gender-neutral neologistic third-person singular subject pronoun, coordinate with gendered pronouns he and she.

pron

Them (singular) Neologistic gender-neutral third-person singular object pronoun, suggested for use in place of him and her.

det

Belonging to per; their (singular). Gender-neutral third-person singular possessive adjective, coordinate with gendered his and her.

Example Sentences

"Admission is £10 per person."
"miles per gallon"
"beats per minute"
"$2.50 per dozen"
"The Nuggets star is averaging 24.9 PPG, 11.9 RPG (rebounds per game) and an agonizing 9.9 APG (assists per game) – demonstrating Jokić’s incredible all-around ability."
"12 inches per foot"

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Italic *per Latin perder. English per From Latin per (“through, during”), from Proto-Indo-European *per. Doublet of par.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: per, *per

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /pɜː/
British English: /pɜː/

Inflected Forms

pers (adjective, possessive) pers (noun, possessive) perself (reflexive)

Derived Forms

kmph perhaps permyriad perself pers

Phrases

as per the usual as per usual as per your request characters per inch cycle per second dots per inch foot per second frame per second

Frequently Paired Words

per- other attested

Synonyms

p p. / ⅌ an a they ey e sie shi ze

Homonyms

purr (fern–fir–fur merger) pair pare pear (all fair–fur merger) purr

Rhymes With

were her sir transfer prefer occur refer der inter fur entrepreneur stir

Questions

How do you pronounce per?: The recorded pronunciation is /pɜː/.
What does per mean?: For each.
Where does per come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce per

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