parentheses

/pəˈɹɛnθəsiːz/

//pəˈɹɛnθəsiːz// noun

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

"parentheses" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“parentheses” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,539. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,539
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
17
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - plural of parenthesis

Corpus desk

Index EN-parentheses · parentheses · English

parentheses · rank #24,539 · 17 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #24,539
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH penance

Nearest frequency peer: penance (+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 “parentheses”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “parentheses” 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).

parentheses vs parenthesis
91% similar

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

Key facts for parentheses
PropertyValue
Headwordparentheses
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pəˈɹɛnθəsiːz/
Letters11
Frequency rank#24,539
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “parentheses”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).parentheseslands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “penance” (#24,540), “overloaded” (#24,537), “peroxide” (#24,541). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “parentheses” is #24,539. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around parentheses (IPA /pəˈɹɛnθəsiːz/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #24,539 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Dominant gloss: "plural of parenthesis".

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for parentheses, with forms such as "aprentheses", "paerntheses", and "parenhteses". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "parenthesis", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: By surface analysis, par- + en- + theses. The correct English form is parentheses, spelled P-A-R-E-N-T-H-E-S-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    plural of parenthesis

Etymology

By surface analysis, par- + en- + theses.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aprentheses
  • paerntheses
  • parenhteses
  • parenntheses
  • parentehses
  • parentheess
  • parenthesess
  • parenthesse
  • parenthesses
  • parenthheses
  • parenthsees
  • parenttheses
  • paretnheses
  • parnetheses
  • parrentheses
  • pparentheses
  • praentheses

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aprentheses2paerntheses2parenhteses2parenntheses1parentehses2parentheess2parenthesess1parenthesse2
Edit distance from "parentheses"

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 "parentheses"?
"parentheses" is spelled P-A-R-E-N-T-H-E-S-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is /pəˈɹɛnθəsiːz/.
What does "parentheses" mean?
As a noun, "parentheses" means: plural of parenthesis
What words are commonly confused with "parentheses"?
"parentheses" is commonly confused with "parenthesis". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "parentheses"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "parentheses" is /pəˈɹɛnθəsiːz/. 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 "parentheses"?
By surface analysis, par- + en- + theses. 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 "parentheses", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

screwdriver#24,585intravenous#24,485inseparable#24,482transfusion#24,617

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

Rothschild17 variantsgrandchild17 variantsunbreakable17 variantsaltercation17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list