parlour game

noun

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

The verdict

“parlour game” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of a number of amusing games played indoors with few props by the members of a social gathering.

Key facts for parlour game
PropertyValue
Headwordparlour game
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “parlour game” sits in English frequency

parlour game falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

parlour game is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for parlour game, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is parlour game, spelled P-A-R-L-O-U-R- -G-A-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of a number of amusing games played indoors with few props by the members of a social gathering.
  2. 2
    The use of deliberately nebulous or confusing language.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "parlour game"?
"parlour game" is spelled P-A-R-L-O-U-R- -G-A-M-E.
What does "parlour game" mean?
As a noun, "parlour game" means: Any of a number of amusing games played indoors with few props by the members of a social gathering.
What language does "parlour game" come from?
"parlour game" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “parlour game”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-A-R-L-O-U-R- -G-A-M-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list