# parentheses vs parenthesis

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### parentheses
*noun · IPA /pəˈɹɛnθəsiːz/ · frequency rank #24,539*
plural of parenthesis

### parenthesis
*noun · IPA /pəˈɹɛnθəsɪs/ · frequency rank #45,571*
A clause, phrase or word which is inserted (usually for explanation or amplification) into a passage which is already grammatically complete, and usually marked off with brackets, commas or dashes.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/parentheses-vs-parenthesis