payola
pay·ola/peɪˈoʊlə/noun
payola is spelled P-A-Y-O-L-A: 6 letters and 2 syllables (pay·ola). It appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 95,993rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, payola means “A bribe given in exchange for a favor, such as one given in exchange for the promotion of goods or services (originally one given to a disk jockey to…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of payola is payolas.
How many letters and syllables are in payola?
| Letters | 6: P-A-Y-O-L-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: pay·ola |
| In writing | about once in every 10 million words; the 95,993rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is payola?
Payola appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 95,993rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce payola?
- US /peɪˈoʊlə/
- UK /peɪˈəʊlə/
Payola has 2 syllables, split pay·ola in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What rhymes with payola?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as payola from its last stressed vowel (/oʊlə/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of payola
- payolas plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does payola mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
USA bribe given in exchange for a favor, such as one given in exchange for the promotion of goods or services (originally one given to a disk jockey to play a record).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Payola in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense bribe:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | jabá |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does payola come from?
Perhaps a blend of pay + Victrola, equivalent to pay + -ola.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).