par

noun

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

"par" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“par” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,614 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,614
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Abbreviation of paragraph.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

par vs PM
0% similar
par vs PC
0% similar
par vs PP
0% similar

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

Key facts for par
PropertyValue
Headwordpar
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters3
Frequency rank#5,614
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “par” 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). par 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 par is 3 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #5,614 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.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for par, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "PM", "PC", "PP", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Abbreviations The correct English form is par, spelled P-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Abbreviation of paragraph.
  2. 2
    Abbreviation of parenthesis.
  3. 3
    Abbreviation of parish.

Etymology

Abbreviations

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 "par"?
"par" is spelled P-A-R.
What does "par" mean?
As a noun, "par" means: Abbreviation of paragraph.
What words are commonly confused with "par"?
"par" is commonly confused with "PM", "PC", "PP". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "par"?
Abbreviations 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 “par”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “PM” - see the side-by-side comparison. par vs PM
  • 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