plea

Name: plea, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/pliː/

//pliː// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“plea” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,725 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#7,725
frequency rank, English: 4
letters: 4
tracked misspellings: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An appeal, petition, urgent prayer or entreaty.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

plea vs Poe

25% similar

plea vs PSA

0% similar

plea vs ply

50% similar

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

Key facts for plea
Property	Value
Headword	plea
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/pliː/
Letters	4
Frequency rank	#7,725
Misspellings tracked	4
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “plea” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). plea lands here:

#7,725

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for plea is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pliː/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,725 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for plea, with forms such as "lpea", "pela", and "pllea". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Poe", "PSA", "ply", 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 ple, from Old French plait, plaid, from Medieval Latin placitum (“a decree, sentence, suit, plea, etc., Latin an opinion, determination, prescription, order; literally, that which is pleasing, pleasure”), neuter of placitus, past partici… The correct English form is plea, spelled P-L-E-A.

Definition

1
An appeal, petition, urgent prayer or entreaty.
2
An excuse; an apology.
3
That which is alleged or pleaded, in defense or in justification.
4
That which is alleged by a party in support of his cause.
5
An allegation of fact in a cause, as distinguished from a demurrer.
6
The defendant’s answer to the plaintiff’s declaration and demand.
7
A cause in court; a lawsuit; as, the Court of Common Pleas.

Etymology

From Middle English ple, from Old French plait, plaid, from Medieval Latin placitum (“a decree, sentence, suit, plea, etc., Latin an opinion, determination, prescription, order; literally, that which is pleasing, pleasure”), neuter of placitus, past participle of placere (“to please”). Cognate with Spanish pleito (“lawsuit, suit”). Doublet of placit. See also please, pleasure.

Synonyms

plaidoyer

This word in other languages

alegato(Español)supplication(Français)Ersuchen(Deutsch)súplica(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: lpea,pela,pllea,pplea

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of plea - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

Edit distance from "plea"

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 "plea"?

"plea" is spelled P-L-E-A. The IPA pronunciation is /pliː/.

What does "plea" mean?

As a noun, "plea" means: An appeal, petition, urgent prayer or entreaty.

What words are commonly confused with "plea"?

"plea" is commonly confused with "Poe", "PSA", "ply". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "plea"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "plea" is /pliː/. 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 "plea"?

From Middle English ple, from Old French plait, plaid, from Medieval Latin placitum (“a decree, sentence, suit, plea, etc., Latin an opinion, determination, prescription, order; literally, that which is pleasing, pleasure”), neuter of placitus, pa... 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.

Using “plea”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is P-L-E-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /pliː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “Poe” - see the side-by-side comparison. plea vs Poe
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.