diff --git a/lib/cli/run-helpers.js b/lib/cli/run-helpers.js
index 6c76851b22..c46e0d16fe 100644
--- a/lib/cli/run-helpers.js
+++ b/lib/cli/run-helpers.js
@@ -195,17 +195,17 @@ const parallelRun = async (mocha, options, fileCollectParams) => {
  * @returns {Promise<Runner>}
  */
 exports.runMocha = async (mocha, options) => {
-  let {
+  const {
     watch = false,
     extension = [],
     ignore = [],
     file = [],
-    parallel = false,
     recursive = false,
     sort = false,
     spec = [],
     parallelForce = false
   } = options;
+  let {parallel} = options;
 
   const fileCollectParams = {
     ignore,
@@ -223,6 +223,7 @@ exports.runMocha = async (mocha, options) => {
       parallel = false;
     }
   }
+
   let run;
   if (watch) {
     run = parallel ? watchParallelRun : watchRun;
diff --git a/lib/mocha.js b/lib/mocha.js
index 350df62dbc..4bd9a874b7 100644
--- a/lib/mocha.js
+++ b/lib/mocha.js
@@ -123,6 +123,7 @@ exports.Test = require('./test');
  * @param {number|string} [options.timeout] - Timeout threshold value.
  * @param {string} [options.ui] - Interface name.
  * @param {boolean} [options.parallel] - Run jobs in parallel
+ * @param {boolean} [options.parallelForce] - Run jobs in parallel
  * @param {number} [options.jobs] - Max number of worker processes for parallel runs
  * @param {MochaRootHookObject} [options.rootHooks] - Hooks to bootstrap the root
  * suite with
diff --git a/test/integration/options/jobs.spec.js b/test/integration/options/jobs.spec.js
index 832d825298..b2b7ef8672 100644
--- a/test/integration/options/jobs.spec.js
+++ b/test/integration/options/jobs.spec.js
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ describe('--jobs', function() {
       return expect(
         runMochaAsync(
           'options/jobs/fail-in-parallel',
-          ['--parallel', '--jobs', '2'],
+          ['--parallel', '--parallelForce', '--jobs', '2'],
           'pipe'
         ),
         'when fulfilled',
diff --git a/test/integration/options/parallel.spec.js b/test/integration/options/parallel.spec.js
index 8fc5389943..44d18b68e5 100644
--- a/test/integration/options/parallel.spec.js
+++ b/test/integration/options/parallel.spec.js
@@ -43,7 +43,10 @@ describe('--parallel', function() {
     describe('when there is only a single test file', function() {
       it('should fail gracefully', function() {
         return expect(
-          runMochaAsync('options/parallel/syntax-err', ['--parallel']),
+          runMochaAsync('options/parallel/syntax-err', [
+            '--parallelForce',
+            '--parallel'
+          ]),
           'when fulfilled',
           'to have failed with output',
           /SyntaxError/
@@ -146,6 +149,7 @@ describe('--parallel', function() {
           [
             require.resolve('../fixtures/options/parallel/uncaught.fixture.js'),
             '--parallel',
+            '--parallelForce',
             '--allow-uncaught'
           ],
           'pipe'