parallax
/ˈpæɹ.əˌlæks/noun, verb
parallax is spelled P-A-R-A-L-L-A-X: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,912th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, parallax means “An apparent shift in the position of two stationary objects relative to each other as viewed by an observer, due to a change in observer position” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of parallax is parallaxes.
How many letters and syllables are in parallax?
| Letters | 8: P-A-R-A-L-L-A-X |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 34,912th 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 parallax?
Parallax appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,912th 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 parallax?
- /ˈpæɹ.əˌlæks/
- British /ˈpaɹəˌlaks/
Parallax 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)-Flame,_not_lame-parallax.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of parallax
- parallaxes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- parallaxing participle, present
- parallaxed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does parallax mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An apparent shift in the position of two stationary objects relative to each other as viewed by an observer, due to a change in observer position.
- 2
The angle of seeing of the astronomical unit.
- 3
Any of several methods of determining distance.
verb
- 1
To measure (a distance) based on parallax observations.
- 2
To produce an illusion of levels of distance by shifting layers at different rates.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Parallax in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense shift:
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.
Where does parallax come from?
From Middle French parallaxe, from Ancient Greek παράλλαξις (parállaxis, “alteration”) from παραλλάσσω (parallássō, “to cause to alternate”) from ἀλλάσσω (allássō, “to alter”) from ἄλλος (állos, “other”). See also para- and allo-.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).