Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

per-

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.45 in modern English

Syllables: per-
IPA

5

Scrabble Score

3

Letters

2

Syllables

3

Unique Chars

Meaning

prefix

In verbs: denoting the sense "through", as in perforate.

prefix

In verbs: denoting the sense "thoroughly", as in perfect.

prefix

In verbs: denoting the sense "to destruction", as in pervert.

prefix

In adjectives and adverbs: denoting the sense "extremely", as in perfervid.

prefix

Forming nouns and adjectives denoting the maximum proportion of one element in a compound, as in peroxide.

prefix

Added to the name of an element in a polyatomic ion to denote the number of atoms of that element (usually four).

prefix

Denoting the sense "by" or "per", as in perchance or perhaps.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Italic *per Latin perbor. Proto-Indo-European *per-der. Proto-Italic *peri- Latin per-bor. English per- Borrowed from Latin per and per-.

Frequently Paired Words

pellucid perfervid

Synonyms

trans- para- dia-

Questions

What does per- mean?: In verbs: denoting the sense "through", as in perforate.
Where does per- come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Italic *per Latin perbor. Proto-Indo-European *per-der. Proto-Italic *peri- Latin per-bor. English per- Borrowed from Latin per and per-.

How to pronounce per-

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