Which to use
“paddle” and “parole” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,239
- “paddle” frequency rank
- #9,933
- “parole” frequency rank
- 25172
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | paddle | parole |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A two-handed implement consisting of a shaft with one or two blades attached to the end(s) used to propel a canoe, kayak or a small boat. A paddle is unattached to the boat and freely operated with the hands, compared with an oar which is attached to the boat at a pivot point. | Originally, one's oath or word of honour, given as a condition of release from custody; now specifically, describing the release of a former prisoner under certain conditions, especially the promise of good behaviour. |
Where the eye mixes paddle and parole
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. paddle (CVCCCV) and parole (CVCVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: paddle vs parole
A purely visual mix-up. paddle (/ˈpædl̩/) and parole (/pəˈɹoʊl/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25172, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
paddle is recorded at frequency rank #15,239, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpædl̩/. parole is at rank #9,933, tagged as anoun, pronounced /pəˈɹoʊl/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 25172, this pair ranks #396,359 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of paddle vs parole
Shared letters: aelp. Private to "paddle": d. Private to "parole": or.
"paddle" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "parole" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "paddle" and "parole" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "paddle" vs "parole" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "paddle" and "parole" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "paddle" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "parole" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #396,359 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "paddle" and "parole" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "paddle vs peddler". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #396,359 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.