parlor

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

/ˈpɑːlə/

//ˈpɑːlə// noun

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

The verdict

“parlor” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #18,646 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#18,646
frequency rank, English: 6
letters: 9
tracked misspellings: 18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The living room of a house, or a room for entertaining guests; a room for talking; a sitting-room or drawing room.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

parlor vs parr

67% similar

parlor vs prior

67% similar

parlor vs Pryor

50% similar

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

Key facts for parlor
Property	Value
Headword	parlor
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈpɑːlə/
Letters	6
Frequency rank	#18,646
Misspellings tracked	9
Confusable pairs	18
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “parlor” 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). parlor lands here:

#18,646

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

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for parlor is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɑːlə/. Corpus data places it at rank #18,646 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for parlor, with forms such as "aprlor", "palror", and "parllor". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 18 confusable-pair relationships, "parr", "prior", "Pryor", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English parlour, from Old French parleor, parloir, parleoir, from the verb parler (“to speak”); compare Medieval Latin parlātōrium. Doublet of parloir. The correct English form is parlor, spelled P-A-R-L-O-R.

Definition

1
The living room of a house, or a room for entertaining guests; a room for talking; a sitting-room or drawing room.
2
The apartment in a monastery or nunnery where the residents are permitted to meet and converse with each other or with visitors from the outside.
3
A comfortable room in a public house.
4
A covered open-air patio.
5
A shop or other business selling goods or services specified by context.
6
A shop or other business selling goods or services specified by context.
7
A shed used for milking cattle; a milking parlor.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English parlour, from Old French parleor, parloir, parleoir, from the verb parler (“to speak”); compare Medieval Latin parlātōrium. Doublet of parloir.

This word in other languages

sala(Español)parloir(Français)Wohnzimmer(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aprlor,palror,parllor,parlorr,parlro,parolr,parrlor,pparlor,pralor

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of parlor - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

Edit distance from "parlor"

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 "parlor"?

"parlor" is spelled P-A-R-L-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɑːlə/.

What does "parlor" mean?

As a noun, "parlor" means: The living room of a house, or a room for entertaining guests; a room for talking; a sitting-room or drawing room.

What words are commonly confused with "parlor"?

"parlor" is commonly confused with "parr", "prior", "Pryor". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "parlor"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "parlor" is /ˈpɑːlə/. 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 "parlor"?

Inherited from Middle English parlour, from Old French parleor, parloir, parleoir, from the verb parler (“to speak”); compare Medieval Latin parlātōrium. Doublet of parloir. 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 “parlor”

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

The one correct English spelling is P-A-R-L-O-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈpɑːlə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “parr” - see the side-by-side comparison. parlor vs parr
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

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.