pillory

/ˈpɪləɹi/

//ˈpɪləɹi// noun

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

"pillory" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pillory” is uncommon English (frequency #82,670 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#82,670
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A framework on a post, with holes for the hands and head, used as a means of punishment and humiliation.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pillory · pillory · English

pillory · rank #82,670 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #82,670
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pillion

Nearest frequency peer: pillion (-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 “pillory”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for pillory
PropertyValue
Headwordpillory
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɪləɹi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#82,670
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “pillory” in English

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).pilloryfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “pillion” (#82,669), “plage” (#82,672), “piecewise” (#82,667). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pillory” is #82,670. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

pillory is uncommon English at frequency #82,670 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɪləɹi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A framework on a post, with holes for the hands and head, used as a means of punishment and humiliation.".

No misspelling variants are generated for pillory in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English pilory, pillorie, from Old French pilori, pellori, which is either from Old Occitan espilori or Latin pīla (“pillar”). The correct English form is pillory, spelled P-I-L-L-O-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A framework on a post, with holes for the hands and head, used as a means of punishment and humiliation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Maires and Maceris that meanes be betwene / The Kynge and the comon to kepe the lawes / To pũnyſhen on pyleries and pynning ſtoles / Bruſterrs and bakeſters, bochers and cokes / For theſe ar mẽ on this mold þᵉ moſt harme worketh / To the pore people that percel mele byghe[...]
  2. Cros·! þou dost no trouþe ; / On a pillori· my fruit to pinne, / He haþ no spot· of Adam sinne ; / Flesch· and veines· nou fleo a-twinne, / Wherfore I· rede of routhe·:

Etymology

From Middle English pilory, pillorie, from Old French pilori, pellori, which is either from Old Occitan espilori or Latin pīla (“pillar”).

This word in other languages

pilori(Français)Pranger(Deutsch)cepo(Português)

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 "pillory"?
"pillory" is spelled P-I-L-L-O-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɪləɹi/.
What does "pillory" mean?
As a noun, "pillory" means: A framework on a post, with holes for the hands and head, used as a means of punishment and humiliation.
How do you pronounce "pillory"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pillory" is /ˈpɪləɹi/. 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 "pillory"?
From Middle English pilory, pillorie, from Old French pilori, pellori, which is either from Old Occitan espilori or Latin pīla (“pillar”). 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 "pillory", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pillion#82,669Phillis#82,662Penarth#82,650Qinghai#82,698

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list