pales

/peɪlz/

//peɪlz// verb

"pales" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pales” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,379. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,379
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - third-person singular simple present indicative of pale

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

pales vs pas
60% similar
pales vs pes
60% similar
pales vs pass
60% similar

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

Key facts for pales
PropertyValue
Headwordpales
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/peɪlz/
Letters5
Frequency rank#40,379
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pales” 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). pales lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around pales (IPA /peɪlz/), averb. Corpus frequency is #40,379 among 46,516 “P” headwords. Dominant gloss: "third-person singular simple present indicative of pale".

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for pales, with forms such as "paels", "paless", and "palles". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pas", "pes", "pass", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct English form is pales, spelled P-A-L-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    third-person singular simple present indicative of pale

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • paels
  • paless
  • palles
  • palse
  • ppales

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pales - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

paels2paless1palles1palse2ppales1
Edit distance from "pales"

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 "pales"?
"pales" is spelled P-A-L-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is /peɪlz/.
What does "pales" mean?
As a verb, "pales" means: third-person singular simple present indicative of pale
What words are commonly confused with "pales"?
"pales" is commonly confused with "pas", "pes", "pass". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pales"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pales" is /peɪlz/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pales" come from?
"pales" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “pales”

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

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

Same frequency band

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