parable

/ˈpaɹəbəl/

//ˈpaɹəbəl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“parable” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,515. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,515
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A short narrative illustrating a lesson (usually religious/moral) by comparison or analogy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-parable · parable · English

parable · rank #25,515 · 11 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,515
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pao

Nearest frequency peer: pao (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “parable”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “parable” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

parable vs parade
71% similar
parable vs parole
71% similar
parable vs payable
86% similar

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

Key facts for parable
PropertyValue
Headwordparable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpaɹəbəl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#25,515
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “parable”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).parablelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “pao” (#25,514), “pastime” (#25,516), “palliative” (#25,513). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “parable” is #25,515. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around parable (IPA /ˈpaɹəbəl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,515 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A short narrative illustrating a lesson (usually religious/moral) by comparison or analogy.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for parable, with forms such as "aprable", "paarble", and "parabble". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "parade", "parole", "payable", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English parable, from Old French parable, parabole, from Late Latin parabola, from Ancient Greek παραβολή (parabolḗ, “comparison”). Doublet of parabola, parole, and palaver. The correct English form is parable, spelled P-A-R-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A short narrative illustrating a lesson (usually religious/moral) by comparison or analogy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In the New Testament the parables told by Jesus Christ convey His message, as in "The parable of the prodigal son".
  2. Catholic homilies normally draw on at least one Biblical lecture, often parables.

Etymology

From Middle English parable, from Old French parable, parabole, from Late Latin parabola, from Ancient Greek παραβολή (parabolḗ, “comparison”). Doublet of parabola, parole, and palaver.

This word in other languages

parábola(Español)parabole(Français)Gleichnis(Deutsch)parábola(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aprable
  • paarble
  • parabble
  • parabel
  • parablle
  • paralbe
  • parbale
  • parible
  • parrable
  • pparable
  • praable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aprable2paarble2parabble1parabel2parablle1paralbe2parbale2parible1
Edit distance from "parable"

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 "parable"?
"parable" is spelled P-A-R-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpaɹəbəl/.
What does "parable" mean?
As a noun, "parable" means: A short narrative illustrating a lesson (usually religious/moral) by comparison or analogy.
What words are commonly confused with "parable"?
"parable" is commonly confused with "parade", "parole", "payable". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "parable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "parable" is /ˈpaɹəbəl/. 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 "parable"?
From Middle English parable, from Old French parable, parabole, from Late Latin parabola, from Ancient Greek παραβολή (parabolḗ, “comparison”). Doublet of parabola, parole, and palaver. 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 "parable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pastime#25,516Palermo#25,512Patrice#25,518pinball#25,530

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

planter11 variantsplenary11 variantsplunder11 variantsPoseidon11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list