parch
/pɑɹt͡ʃ/
"parch" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“parch” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 5
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To burn the surface of, to scorch.
Corpus desk
Index EN-parch · parch · English
parch · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MID 5 letters
- VOW-1 1 vowel
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "P" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | parch |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /pɑɹt͡ʃ/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “parch” in English
Rare enough to double-check
parch is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /pɑɹt͡ʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for parch, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English parchen, paarchen (“to parch; dry; roast”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps a variant of Middle English perchen (“to roast”). The correct English form is parch, spelled P-A-R-C-H.
Definition
- 1To burn the surface of, to scorch.
- 2To roast, as dry grain.
- 3To dry to extremity; to shrivel with heat.
- 4To make very thirsty.
- 5To boil something slowly (Still used in Lancashire in parched peas, a type of mushy peas).
- 6To become superficially burnt; to become sunburned.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how parch appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The sun today could parch cement.
Ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn.
Etymology
From Middle English parchen, paarchen (“to parch; dry; roast”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps a variant of Middle English perchen (“to roast”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.