pad

/pæd/

//pæd// noun

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

"pad" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pad” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #7,039) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#7,039
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A flattened mass of anything soft, to sit or lie on.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pad · pad · English

pad · rank #7,039 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,039
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Pakistani

Nearest frequency peer: Pakistani (+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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “pad”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “pad” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

pad vs PM
0% similar
pad vs PC
0% similar
pad vs PP
0% similar

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

Key facts for pad
PropertyValue
Headwordpad
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pæd/
Letters3
Frequency rank#7,039
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pad” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).padlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Pakistani” (#7,040), “oz” (#7,037), “orchestra” (#7,036). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for pad is neighbouring look-alikes ("PM", "PC", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /pæd/. Frequency #7,039 among 4,417 “P” headwords. 26 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for pad, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "PM", "PC", "PP", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: 1554, "bundle of straw to lie on". Unknown, and unclear all senses have common etymology. For sense "ends of a digit", cf. Low German or West Flemish pad (“sole of the foot”), perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pent- (“to pass”), which would make … The correct English form is pad, spelled P-A-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A flattened mass of anything soft, to sit or lie on.
  2. 2
    A cushion used as a saddle without a tree or frame.
  3. 3
    A soft, or small, cushion.
  4. 4
    A soft area on the ends of a digit:
  5. 5
    A soft area on the ends of a digit:
  6. 6
    A soft area on the ends of a digit:
  7. 7
    A stuffed guard or protection, especially one worn on the legs of horses to prevent bruising.
  8. 8
    A soft bag or cushion to relieve pressure, support a part, etc.
  9. 9
    A menstrual pad; a mass of absorbent material used to absorb menstrual flow.
  10. 10
    A floating leaf of a water lily or similar plant.
  11. 11
    A soft cover for a batsman's leg that protects the player from damage when hit by the ball.
  12. 12
    A kind of cushion for writing upon, or for blotting, especially one formed of many flat sheets of writing paper; now especially such a block of paper sheets as used to write on.
  13. 13
    A panel or strip of material designed to be sensitive to pressure or touch.
  14. 14
    Ellipsis of keypad.
  15. 15
    Ellipsis of mouse pad.
  16. 16
    a tablet PC
  17. 17
    A flat surface or area from which a helicopter or other aircraft may land or be launched.
  18. 18
    An electrical extension cord with a multi-port socket on one end; a "trip cord".
  19. 19
    The effect produced by sustained lower reed notes in a musical piece, most common in blues music.
  20. 20
    A synthesizer instrument sound used for sustained background sounds.
  21. 21
    A bed.
  22. 22
    A small house, apartment, or mobile home occupied by a single person; such as a bachelor, playboy, etc.
  23. 23
    A prison cell.
  24. 24
    A random key (originally written on a disposable pad) of the same length as the plaintext.
  25. 25
    The amount by which a signal has been reduced.
  26. 26
    A piece of timber fixed on a beam to fit the curve of the deck.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Collie ignored him. Reached the finger further. Closer. And closer yet, until — […] Collie yanked his hand back and peered at it like a kid with an interesting new scrape. Then he turned to Steve and held it out. A bead of blood, small and dark and perfect, was forming on the pad of his index finger.
  2. In this study, when the views of the mothers on the tiring/straining situations during their daughters’ adolescence are examined, it is determined that the mothers mostly have difficulties in using the pads of their daughters, cleaning the hairs in the armpit and genital area, and bathing their daughters.

Etymology

1554, "bundle of straw to lie on". Unknown, and unclear all senses have common etymology. For sense "ends of a digit", cf. Low German or West Flemish pad (“sole of the foot”), perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pent- (“to pass”), which would make it related to both path and find.

This word in other languages

almohadilla(Español)tampon(Français)Unterlage(Deutsch)bloco(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 "pad"?
"pad" is spelled P-A-D. The IPA pronunciation is /pæd/.
What does "pad" mean?
As a noun, "pad" means: A flattened mass of anything soft, to sit or lie on.
What words are commonly confused with "pad"?
"pad" is commonly confused with "PM", "PC", "PP". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pad"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pad" is /pæd/. 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 "pad"?
1554, "bundle of straw to lie on". Unknown, and unclear all senses have common etymology. For sense "ends of a digit", cf. Low German or West Flemish pad (“sole of the foot”), perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pent- (“to pass”), which w... 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 "pad", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sen#7,058SEO#7,059tan#7,068den#7,004

What to do next

You've looked up "pad". Here's where to go from here.

  • "pad" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "PM". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #7,039 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "P" letter cohort. P–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list