parable
/ˈpæɹ.ə.bəl/noun, verb
parable is spelled P-A-R-A-B-L-E: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,367th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, parable means “A short narrative illustrating a lesson (usually religious/moral) by comparison or analogy” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of parable is parables.
How many letters and syllables are in parable?
| Letters | 7: P-A-R-A-B-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 25,367th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is parable?
Parable appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,367th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce parable?
- UK /ˈpaɹəbəl/
- US /ˈpæɹ.ə.bəl/
- US /ˈpɛɹ.ə.bəl/
Parable has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-parable.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of parable
- parables plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- parabling participle, present
- parabled participle, past
- more parable comparative
- most parable superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does parable mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A short narrative illustrating a lesson (usually religious/moral) by comparison or analogy.
In the New Testament the parables told by Jesus Christ convey His message, as in "The parable of the prodigal son".
verb
- 1
To represent by parable.
adjective
- 1
obsoleteThat can easily be prepared or procured; obtainable.
The most parable and easy, and about which many are employed, is to teach a school, turn lecturer or curate […].
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Parable in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense short story illustrating a lesson:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | parabole |
| German | Gleichnis, Gleichniserzählung, Gleichnisrede, Parabel |
| Portuguese | parábola |
| Spanish | parábola |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.