Parsi

/ˈpɑːsiː/

//ˈpɑːsiː// noun

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

"parsi" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Parsi” is uncommon English (frequency #63,872 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#63,872
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A member of the larger and older of the two Zoroastrian communities of the Indian subcontinent (the other community being that of the Iranis).

Corpus desk

Index EN-parsi · Parsi · English

Parsi · rank #63,872 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #63,872
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH parenteral

Nearest frequency peer: parenteral (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “Parsi”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “Parsi” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Parsi
PropertyValue
HeadwordParsi
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɑːsiː/
Letters5
Frequency rank#63,872
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Parsi” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).Parsifalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “parenteral” (#63,871), “paperweight” (#63,870), “passé” (#63,875). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “Parsi” is #63,872. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Parsi is uncommon English at frequency #63,872 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɑːsiː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A member of the larger and older of the two Zoroastrian communities of the Indian subcontinent (the other community being that of the Iranis).".

Parsi doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Gujarati પારસી (pārsī), "as the Gujaratis, from long tradition, called anyone from Iran", from Sanskrit पारसि (pārasi), पारसिक (pārasika), from Middle Persian [Term?]. The Indian term is attested many centuries prior to the arrival of the Pars… The correct English form is Parsi, spelled P-A-R-S-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    A member of the larger and older of the two Zoroastrian communities of the Indian subcontinent (the other community being that of the Iranis).

Etymology

Borrowed from Gujarati પારસી (pārsī), "as the Gujaratis, from long tradition, called anyone from Iran", from Sanskrit पारसि (pārasi), पारसिक (pārasika), from Middle Persian [Term?]. The Indian term is attested many centuries prior to the arrival of the Parsis on the Indian subcontinent, and appears both for Iranians generally, as well as in the specific Iranian sense of Middle Persian parsi(k) ("of, or pertaining to, Persia proper") to refer to Sassanian kings, e.g. in the 4th-century Mahabharata. The Indian term is thus conventionally assumed to be ultimately a loanword from Middle Persian (or general Middle Iranian) parsi(k). In colonial times the term was also applied to the Portuguese, and by extension to Europeans in general. Older texts have pārasā́rya "Perso-Iranian", etc. Other Iranian ethnonyms found in the Mahabharata include Sanskrit pahlava, pahnava "Parthian(s)", sāka "(eastern) Scythian(s)", bāhlika "Bactrian(s)".

This word in other languages

Parse(Deutsch)

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 "Parsi"?
"Parsi" is spelled P-A-R-S-I. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɑːsiː/.
What does "Parsi" mean?
As a noun, "Parsi" means: A member of the larger and older of the two Zoroastrian communities of the Indian subcontinent (the other community being that of the Iranis).
How do you pronounce "Parsi"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Parsi" is /ˈpɑːsiː/. 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 "Parsi"?
Borrowed from Gujarati પારસી (pārsī), "as the Gujaratis, from long tradition, called anyone from Iran", from Sanskrit पारसि (pārasi), पारसिक (pārasika), from Middle Persian [Term?]. The Indian term is attested many centuries prior to the arrival o... 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 "Parsi", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

passé#63,875Ophir#63,859Opals#63,857punky#63,912

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list