Pahlavi
/ˈpɑː.(h)ləˌvi/
"pahlavi" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“Pahlavi” is uncommon English (frequency #75,263 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #75,263
- frequency rank, English
- 46,516
- “P” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The Pahlavi script, a writing system derived from the Aramaic script and used to write several Iranian languages, the most common form of which was the Book Pahlavi.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Pahlavi |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Proper noun |
| IPA | /ˈpɑː.(h)ləˌvi/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #75,263 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Pahlavi” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
Pahlavi is uncommon English at frequency #75,263 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /ˈpɑː.(h)ləˌvi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for Pahlavi, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Iranian Persian پَهْلَوی (pahlavi), from Classical Persian پَهْلَوِی (pahlawī, “Parthian, of or relating to the age of the Iranian heroes before Islam”), from پَهْلَو (pahlaw) + ـِی (-ī). The correct English form is Pahlavi, spelled P-A-H-L-A-V-I.
Definition
- 1The Pahlavi script, a writing system derived from the Aramaic script and used to write several Iranian languages, the most common form of which was the Book Pahlavi.
- 2The Middle Persian language rendered in Book Pahlavi.
- 3A transliteration of the Persian surname پهلوی (pahlavi), borne by members of the Pahlavi dynasty which ruled Iran in the 20th century.
Etymology
From Iranian Persian پَهْلَوی (pahlavi), from Classical Persian پَهْلَوِی (pahlawī, “Parthian, of or relating to the age of the Iranian heroes before Islam”), from پَهْلَو (pahlaw) + ـِی (-ī).
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “Pahlavi”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-A-H-L-A-V-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpɑː.(h)ləˌvi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.