Danger is exposure to possible evil, which may be either near and probable or remote and doubtful; peril is exposure to imminent and sharply threatening evil, especially to such as results from violence. An invalid may be in danger of consumption; a disarmed soldier is in peril of death.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

risk Sleep deprivation increases risk of heart attacks.
danger At that time no thought of danger crossed my mind.
hazard Ziri noticed a vehicle with its hazard lights on.
jeopardy Yanni was in jeopardy somehow by living with Skura.
liability He denies any liability for the damage caused.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
peril		steady
risk		rising
danger		steady
hazard		falling
jeopardy		steady
liability		steady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters: risk¹
5 letters: queer¹
6 letters: danger², threat¹, hazard², expose², menace²
7 letters: venture², imperil³, scupper², jeopard
8 letters: distress², threaten², jeopardy³, endanger³
9 letters: adventure³, liability⁵, riskiness³
10 letters: insecurity⁵, jeopardize³, jeopardise
11 letters: uncertainty⁴
12 letters: endangerment⁴
14 letters: precariousness

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (danger² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: péril
Italiano: pericolo
Español: peligro
Deutsch: Gefährdung
Català: perill