parole
/pəˈɹoʊl/
"parole" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“parole” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,933 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #9,933
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Originally, one's oath or word of honour, given as a condition of release from custody; now specifically, describing the release of a former prisoner under certain conditions, especially the promis...
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | parole |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /pəˈɹoʊl/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #9,933 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “parole” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for parole is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pəˈɹoʊl/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,933 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for parole, with forms such as "aprole", "paorle", and "parloe". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pole", "prove", "probe", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French parole (“word, formal promise”), from Old French parole, from Late Latin parabola (“speech”), from Ancient Greek παραβολή (parabolḗ). Doublet of parabola, parable, and palaver. The correct English form is parole, spelled P-A-R-O-L-E.
Definition
- 1Originally, one's oath or word of honour, given as a condition of release from custody; now specifically, describing the release of a former prisoner under certain conditions, especially the promise of good behaviour.
- 2Conditional release of a prisoner (now especially before the end of a custodial sentence), or the term or state of such release; the system governing such releases.
- 3A word of honor, especially given by a prisoner of war, to not engage in combat if released.
- 4A watchword or code phrase; (military) a password given only to officers, distinguished from the countersign, which is given to all guards.
- 5Language in use, as opposed to language as a system.
- 6The permission for a foreigner who does not meet the technical requirements for a visa to be allowed to enter the U.S. on humanitarian grounds.
- 7Alternative form of parol.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French parole (“word, formal promise”), from Old French parole, from Late Latin parabola (“speech”), from Ancient Greek παραβολή (parabolḗ). Doublet of parabola, parable, and palaver.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: aprole,paorle,parloe,paroel,parolle,parrole,pparole,praole
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of parole - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “parole”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-A-R-O-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /pəˈɹoʊl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “pole” - see the side-by-side comparison. parole vs pole
- 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.