payroll
pay·roll/ˈpeɪˌɹoʊl/noun, verb
payroll is spelled P-A-Y-R-O-L-L: 7 letters and 2 syllables (pay·roll). It appears 5.8 times per million words in written English, the 10,196th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, payroll means “A list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of payroll is payrolls.
How many letters and syllables are in payroll?
| Letters | 7: P-A-Y-R-O-L-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: pay·roll |
| In writing | 5.8 times per million words; the 10,196th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is payroll?
Payroll appears 5.8 times per million words in written English, the 10,196th 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 payroll?
- UK /ˈpeɪˌɹəʊl/
- US /ˈpeɪˌɹoʊl/
- Australia /ˈpæɪ̯ˌɹəʉl/
Payroll has 2 syllables, split pay·roll in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-payroll.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with payroll
Also written: pay roll (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of payroll
- payrolls plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- pay roll
- payrolling participle, present
- payrolled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does payroll mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each.
- 2
The total sum of money paid to employees.
- 3
The calculation of salaries and wages and the deduction of taxes etc.; the department in a company responsible for this.
- 4
Bribes paid to people.
verb
- 1
To place on a payroll (noun sense 1).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Payroll in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | registre de paie, paie , masse salariale |
| German | Gehaltsliste, Lohnliste , Gehaltskosten, Lohnkosten , Gehaltsabrechnung, Lohn- und Gehaltsabteilung |
| Spanish | nómina, planilla, plantilla |
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 payroll come from?
From pay + roll.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).