Which to use
“parry” and “parse” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,295
- “parry” frequency rank
- #29,782
- “parse” frequency rank
- 46077
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | parry | parse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To avoid, deflect, or ward off (an attack, a blow, an argument, etc.). | To resolve (a sentence, etc.) into its elements, pointing out the several parts of speech, and their relation to each other by agreement or government; to analyze and describe grammatically. |
Where the eye mixes parry and parse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses parry with parse
A purely visual mix-up. parry (/ˈpæɹ.i/) and parse (/pɑːz/) 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 46077, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
parry is recorded at frequency rank #16,295, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈpæɹ.i/. parse is at rank #29,782, tagged as averb, pronounced /pɑːz/.
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 46077, this pair ranks #215,211 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of parry vs parse
Shared letters: apr. Private to "parry": y. Private to "parse": es.
"parry" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "parse" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "parry" for "parse" ever safe?
Frequency check: "parry" vs "parse" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "parry" and "parse" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "parry" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "parse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #215,211 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "parry" and "parse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Palme vs parse". 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 #215,211 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.