parallel
pa·ra·llel/ˈpæ.ɹəˌlɛl/adjective, adverb, noun, verb
parallel is spelled P-A-R-A-L-L-E-L, 3 syllables: pa·ra·llel. The wrong spelling people search most is paralell: about 440 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 22 of all searches for the word. Parallel is an adjective meaning “Equally distant from one another at all points”.
How many letters and syllables are in parallel?
| Letters | 8: P-A-R-A-L-L-E-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: pa·ra·llel |
| In writing | 19 times per million words; the 4,521st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 5; the most searched, paralell, about 440 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How do you spell parallel?
Parallel is spelled P-A-R-A-L-L-E-L. 5 wrong spellings are searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 10 of the searches for parallel in either form.
Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is parallel?
Parallel appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,521st 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 parallel?
- UK /ˈpæ.ɹəˌlɛl/
- British /ˈpaɹəˌlɛl/
Parallel has 3 syllables, split pa·ra·llel in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-ne-parallel.ogg, En-us-parallel.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of parallel
- more parallel comparative
- most parallel superlative
- parallels plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- paralleling participle, present
- paralleled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does parallel mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Equally distant from one another at all points.
The horizontal lines on my notebook paper are parallel.
- 2
Having the same overall direction; the comparison is indicated with "to".
The two railway lines are parallel.
- 3
Either not intersecting, or coinciding.
- 4
Involving the processing of multiple tasks at the same time.
a parallel algorithm
- 5
Analogous, similar, comparable.
the parallel lives of two citizens
- 6
Coexisting but normally not interacting with the regular reality.
parallel universe
adverb
- 1
With a parallel relationship.
The road runs parallel to the canal.
noun
- 1
One of a set of parallel lines.
- 2
Direction conformable to that of another line.
- 3
A line of latitude.
The 31st parallel passes through the center of my town.
- 4
An arrangement of electrical components such that a current flows along two or more paths; see in parallel.
- 5
Something identical or similar in essential respects.
- 6
A comparison made; elaborate tracing of similarity.
Johnson's parallel between Dryden and Pope
- 7
One of a series of long trenches constructed before a besieged fortress, by the besieging force, as a cover for troops supporting the attacking batteries. They are roughly parallel to the line of outer defenses of the fortress.
- 8
A character consisting of two parallel vertical lines, used in the text to direct attention to a similarly marked note in the margin or at the foot of a page.
verb
- 1
To construct or place something parallel to something else.
- 2
Of a path etc: To be parallel to something else.
- 3
Of a process etc: To be analogous to something else.
- 4
To compare or liken something to something else.
- 5
To make to conform to something else in character, motive, aim, etc.
- 6
To equal; to match; to correspond to.
- 7
To produce or adduce as a parallel.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate parallel?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of parallel: par.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Parallel in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | parallèle , parallèle à , parallèlement |
| German | parallel , parallel zu , Parallele , Breitengrad, Breitenkreis |
| Portuguese | paralelo , paralelamente , paralela |
| Spanish | paralelo |
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 parallel come from?
From Middle French parallèle and its etymon Latin parallēlus, parallēlos. The verb is from the noun. See also para- and allo-.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).