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parole

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

6 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "parole", 6-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "parole" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "parole" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

parole is aEnglishnoun. It means: 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... Pronounced /pəˈɹoʊl/. It ranks #9,933 in English word frequency. Often confused with pole and prove.

Key facts for parole
PropertyValue
Headwordparole
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pəˈɹoʊl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#9,933
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of parole in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for parole is 6 letters long, classified as anoun, 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 Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 8 documented wrong-spelling variants for parole, with forms such as "aprole", "paorle", and "parloe". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, 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, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

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. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is parole, spelled P-A-R-O-L-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    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 promise of good behaviour.
  2. 2
    Conditional 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.
  3. 3
    A word of honor, especially given by a prisoner of war, to not engage in combat if released.
  4. 4
    A watchword or code phrase; (military) a password given only to officers, distinguished from the countersign, which is given to all guards.
  5. 5
    Language in use, as opposed to language as a system.
  6. 6
    The 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.
  7. 7
    Alternative 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

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for parole

Misspelling Variants of "parole"

aprole6paorle6parloe6paroel6parolle7parrole7pparole7praole6
Misspelling Variants of "parole"

Frequency rank: #9,933 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "parole"?
"parole" is spelled P-A-R-O-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pəˈɹoʊl/.
What does "parole" mean?
As a noun, "parole" means: 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...
What words are commonly confused with "parole"?
"parole" is commonly confused with "pole", "prove", "probe". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "parole"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "parole" is /pəˈɹoʊl/. 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 "parole"?
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. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter P in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.