Palmyra

/pælˈmaɪ.ɹə/

//pælˈmaɪ.ɹə// name

"palmyra" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Palmyra” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #39,946 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#39,946
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An ancient city, an oasis in the Syrian Desert, in present-day central Syria, recorded historically from around 2000 BCE, subsequently subject to various empires and destroyed in 273 CE and again i...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Palmyra vs palma
57% similar
Palmyra vs Palmer
71% similar

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

Key facts for Palmyra
PropertyValue
HeadwordPalmyra
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/pælˈmaɪ.ɹə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#39,946
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Palmyra” 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). Palmyra 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 Palmyra is 7 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pælˈmaɪ.ɹə/. Corpus data places it at rank #39,946 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for Palmyra, with forms such as "aplmyra", "pallmyra", and "palmmyra". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "palma", "Palmer", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek Παλμύρα (Palmúra). For more see Palmyra on Wikipedia.Wikipedia The correct English form is Palmyra, spelled P-A-L-M-Y-R-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    An ancient city, an oasis in the Syrian Desert, in present-day central Syria, recorded historically from around 2000 BCE, subsequently subject to various empires and destroyed in 273 CE and again in 1400, when it was reduced to a village.
  2. 2
    A city, the county seat of Marion County, Missouri, United States.
  3. 3
    A census-designated place, the county seat of Fluvanna County, Virginia, United States.
  4. 4
    A number of townships in the United States, listed under Palmyra Township.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek Παλμύρα (Palmúra). For more see Palmyra on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aplmyra,pallmyra,palmmyra,palmrya,palmyar,palmyrra,palmyyra,palymra,pamlyra,plamyra,ppalmyra

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Palmyra - 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.

aplmyra2pallmyra1palmmyra1palmrya2palmyar2palmyrra1palmyyra1palymra2
Edit distance from "Palmyra"

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 "Palmyra"?
"Palmyra" is spelled P-A-L-M-Y-R-A. The IPA pronunciation is /pælˈmaɪ.ɹə/.
What does "Palmyra" mean?
As a proper noun, "Palmyra" means: An ancient city, an oasis in the Syrian Desert, in present-day central Syria, recorded historically from around 2000 BCE, subsequently subject to various empires and destroyed in 273 CE and again i...
What words are commonly confused with "Palmyra"?
"Palmyra" is commonly confused with "palma", "Palmer". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Palmyra"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Palmyra" is /pælˈmaɪ.ɹə/. 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 "Palmyra"?
From Ancient Greek Παλμύρα (Palmúra). For more see Palmyra on Wikipedia.Wikipedia 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 “Palmyra”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-A-L-M-Y-R-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /pælˈmaɪ.ɹə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “palma” - see the side-by-side comparison. Palmyra vs palma
  • 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