pale

/peɪl/

//peɪl// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"pale" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pale” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,275 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#6,275
frequency rank, English
4
letters
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Light in color.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

pale vs PL
0% similar
pale vs PE
0% similar
pale vs pay
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for pale
PropertyValue
Headwordpale
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/peɪl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#6,275
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pale” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). pale lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for pale is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /peɪl/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,275 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for pale, with forms such as "pael", "palle", and "plae". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "PL", "PE", "pay", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Latin palleō Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Latin -idus Latin pallidus Old French palebor. Middle English pale English pale From Middle English pale, from Old French pale, from Latin pallidus (“pale, pallid”), from palleō (“to be pale; to gr… The correct English form is pale, spelled P-A-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Light in color.
  2. 2
    Having a pallor (a light color, especially due to sickness, shock, fright etc.).
  3. 3
    Feeble, faint.

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin palleō Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Latin -idus Latin pallidus Old French palebor. Middle English pale English pale From Middle English pale, from Old French pale, from Latin pallidus (“pale, pallid”), from palleō (“to be pale; to grow pale; to fade”), from Proto-Indo-European *pelito-, from *pelH- (“gray”). Doublet of pallid. Displaced native Old English blāc.

This word in other languages

pálido(Español)pâle(Français)hell(Deutsch)pálido(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: pael,palle,plae,ppale

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pale - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

pael2palle1plae2ppale1
Edit distance from "pale"

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

How do you spell "pale"?
"pale" is spelled P-A-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /peɪl/.
What does "pale" mean?
As an adjective, "pale" means: Light in color.
What words are commonly confused with "pale"?
"pale" is commonly confused with "PL", "PE", "pay". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pale"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pale" is /peɪl/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "pale"?
Etymology tree Latin palleō Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Latin -idus Latin pallidus Old French palebor. Middle English pale English pale From Middle English pale, from Old French pale, from Latin pallidus (“pale, pallid”), from palleō (“to be p... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “pale”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-A-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /peɪl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “PL” - see the side-by-side comparison. pale vs PL
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list