parson

/ˈpɑːs(ə)n/

//ˈpɑːs(ə)n// noun

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

"parson" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“parson” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,272. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,272
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An Anglican cleric having full legal control of a parish under ecclesiastical law.

Corpus desk

Index EN-parson · parson · English

parson · rank #36,272 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,272
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH overreact

Nearest frequency peer: overreact (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “parson”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “parson” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

parson vs Paton
50% similar
parson vs person
83% similar
parson vs prison
67% similar

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

Key facts for parson
PropertyValue
Headwordparson
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɑːs(ə)n/
Letters6
Frequency rank#36,272
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “parson”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).parsonlands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “overreact” (#36,271), “Pele” (#36,273), “overdone” (#36,270). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “parson” is #36,272. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around parson (IPA /ˈpɑːs(ə)n/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #36,272 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for parson, with forms such as "aprson", "parosn", and "parrson". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Paton", "person", "prison", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English persoun, from Anglo-Norman, Old French persone (“parson, person”), from Medieval Latin persona (“parson, person”), from Latin persona (“person”). Doublet of person and persona. The correct English form is parson, spelled P-A-R-S-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An Anglican cleric having full legal control of a parish under ecclesiastical law.
  2. 2
    A Protestant minister.
  3. 3
    A Roman Catholic priest of an independent parish church.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how parson appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. a lewde curate, A parson benyfyced But nothynge well advysed.

Etymology

From Middle English persoun, from Anglo-Norman, Old French persone (“parson, person”), from Medieval Latin persona (“parson, person”), from Latin persona (“person”). Doublet of person and persona.

This word in other languages

párroco(Español)curé(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aprson
  • parosn
  • parrson
  • parsno
  • parsonn
  • parsson
  • pasron
  • pparson
  • prason

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of parson - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

aprson2parosn2parrson1parsno2parsonn1parsson1pasron2pparson1
Edit distance from "parson"

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 "parson"?
"parson" is spelled P-A-R-S-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɑːs(ə)n/.
What does "parson" mean?
As a noun, "parson" means: An Anglican cleric having full legal control of a parish under ecclesiastical law.
What words are commonly confused with "parson"?
"parson" is commonly confused with "Paton", "person", "prison". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "parson"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "parson" is /ˈpɑːs(ə)n/. 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 "parson"?
From Middle English persoun, from Anglo-Norman, Old French persone (“parson, person”), from Medieval Latin persona (“parson, person”), from Latin persona (“person”). Doublet of person and persona. 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 "parson", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Pelham#36,274piglet#36,283Mollie#36,253Lorenz#36,227

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Micheal9 variantsmatinee9 variantsraucous9 variantsrepress9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list