pillory
/ˈpɪləɹi/noun, verb
pillory is spelled P-I-L-L-O-R-Y: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 82,325th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). 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” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pillory is pillories.
How many letters and syllables are in pillory?
| Letters | 7: P-I-L-L-O-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 8 million words; the 82,325th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is pillory?
Pillory appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 82,325th 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 pillory?
- /ˈpɪləɹi/
Pillory has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-pillory.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of pillory
- pillories plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- pillorying participle, present
- pilloried participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pillory mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A framework on a post, with holes for the hands and head, used as a means of punishment and humiliation.
verb
- 1
To put in a pillory.
- 2
To subject to humiliation, scorn, ridicule or abuse.
- 3
To criticize harshly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pillory in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pilori , mettre au pilori, clouer au pilori |
| German | Pranger, Schandpfahl , anprangern , an den Pranger stellen |
| Portuguese | pelourinho, cepo |
| Spanish | cepo f picota , poner en la picota |
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 pillory come from?
From Middle English pilory, pillorie, from Old French pilori, pellori, which is either from Old Occitan espilori or Latin pīla (“pillar”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).