palisade

/ˌpæ.lɪˈseɪd/

//ˌpæ.lɪˈseɪd// noun

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

"palisade" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“palisade” is uncommon English (frequency #52,541 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,541
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A long, strong stake, one end of which is set firmly in the ground, and the other sharpened.

Corpus desk

Index EN-palisade · palisade · English

palisade · rank #52,541 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #52,541
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH paddocks

Nearest frequency peer: paddocks (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “palisade”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “palisade” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for palisade
PropertyValue
Headwordpalisade
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌpæ.lɪˈseɪd/
Letters8
Frequency rank#52,541
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “palisade” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).palisadefalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “paddocks” (#52,540), “Palmdale” (#52,542), “outshine” (#52,539). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “palisade” is #52,541. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

palisade is uncommon English at frequency #52,541 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌpæ.lɪˈseɪd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for palisade, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French palissade, from Old French, from Old Occitan palissada, from palissa (“stake”), probably from pal (“stake”), or possibly from Gallo-Romance *pālīcea, from Latin pālus (“stake”) + -ade. The correct English form is palisade, spelled P-A-L-I-S-A-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A long, strong stake, one end of which is set firmly in the ground, and the other sharpened.
  2. 2
    A wall of wooden stakes, used as a defensive barrier.
  3. 3
    A line of cliffs, especially one showing basaltic columns.
  4. 4
    An even row of cells, e.g., palisade mesophyll cells.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how palisade appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. We had soon touched land in the same place as before and set to provision the blockhouse. All three made the first journey, heavily laden, and tossed our stores over the palisade.
  2. Before the clearing had been half crossed the Arabs opened up a withering fire from behind the palisade.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French palissade, from Old French, from Old Occitan palissada, from palissa (“stake”), probably from pal (“stake”), or possibly from Gallo-Romance *pālīcea, from Latin pālus (“stake”) + -ade.

This word in other languages

estaca(Español)palissade(Français)Palisade(Deutsch)paliçada(Português)

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 "palisade"?
"palisade" is spelled P-A-L-I-S-A-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌpæ.lɪˈseɪd/.
What does "palisade" mean?
As a noun, "palisade" means: A long, strong stake, one end of which is set firmly in the ground, and the other sharpened.
How do you pronounce "palisade"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "palisade" is /ˌpæ.lɪˈseɪd/. 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 "palisade"?
Borrowed from Middle French palissade, from Old French, from Old Occitan palissada, from palissa (“stake”), probably from pal (“stake”), or possibly from Gallo-Romance *pālīcea, from Latin pālus (“stake”) + -ade. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "palisade", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

paddocks#52,540Palmdale#52,542outshine#52,539oratorio#52,536

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list