parallelism

Name: parallelism, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈpaɹəlɛlɪz(ə)m/

//ˈpaɹəlɛlɪz(ə)m// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“parallelism” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,403. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,403
frequency rank, English: 46,516
“P” headwords: 15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The state or condition of being parallel; agreement in direction, tendency, or character.

Key facts for parallelism
Property	Value
Headword	parallelism
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈpaɹəlɛlɪz(ə)m/
Letters	11
Frequency rank	#48,403
Misspellings tracked	15
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “parallelism” 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). parallelism lands here:

#48,403

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around parallelism (IPA /ˈpaɹəlɛlɪz(ə)m/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #48,403 among 46,516 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for parallelism, with forms such as "aprallelism", "paarllelism", and "paralelism". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From parallel + -ism and from Late Latin parallelismus. The correct English form is parallelism, spelled P-A-R-A-L-L-E-L-I-S-M.

Definition

1
The state or condition of being parallel; agreement in direction, tendency, or character.
2
The state of being in agreement or similarity; resemblance, correspondence, analogy.
3
A parallel position; the relation of parallels.
4
The juxtaposition of two or more identical or equivalent syntactic constructions, especially those expressing the same sentiment with slight modifications, introduced for rhetorical effect.
5
The doctrine that matter and mind do not causally interact but that physiological events in the brain or body nonetheless occur simultaneously with matching events in the mind.
6
In antitrust law, the practice of competitors of raising prices by roughly the same amount at roughly the same time, without engaging in a formal agreement to do so.
7
Similarity of features between two species resulting from their having taken similar evolutionary paths following their initial divergence from a common ancestor.
8
The use of parallel methods in hardware or software, so that several tasks can be performed at the same time.

Etymology

From parallel + -ism and from Late Latin parallelismus.

This word in other languages

paralelismo(Español)parallélisme(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

aprallelism
paarllelism
paralelism
paralellism
paralleilsm
parallelims
parallelismm
parallelissm
parallellism
parallelsim
parallleism
parlalelism
parrallelism
pparallelism
praallelism

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of parallelism - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

Edit distance from "parallelism"

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 "parallelism"?

"parallelism" is spelled P-A-R-A-L-L-E-L-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpaɹəlɛlɪz(ə)m/.

What does "parallelism" mean?

As a noun, "parallelism" means: The state or condition of being parallel; agreement in direction, tendency, or character.

What are common misspellings of "parallelism"?

Common misspellings include "aprallelism", "paarllelism", "paralelism", "paralellism", "paralleilsm". The correct spelling is "parallelism".

How do you pronounce "parallelism"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "parallelism" is /ˈpaɹəlɛlɪz(ə)m/. 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 "parallelism"?

From parallel + -ism and from Late Latin parallelismus. 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 “parallelism”

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

The one correct English spelling is P-A-R-A-L-L-E-L-I-S-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈpaɹəlɛlɪz(ə)m/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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.