# paddle

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpædl̩/ · frequency rank #15,239

## Definitions
1. A two-handed implement consisting of a shaft with one or two blades attached to the end(s) used to propel a canoe, kayak or a small boat. A paddle is unattached to the boat and freely operated with the hands, compared with an oar which is attached to the boat at a pivot point.
2. A two-handed implement consisting of a shaft with one or two blades attached to the end(s) used to propel a canoe, kayak or a small boat. A paddle is unattached to the boat and freely operated with the hands, compared with an oar which is attached to the boat at a pivot point.
3. The use of a paddle to propel a boat; a session of paddling.
4. A slat of a paddleboat's wheel.
5. A paddlewheel.
6. A blade of a waterwheel.
7. A game controller with a round wheel used to control player movement along one axis of the video screen.
8. A meandering walk or dabble through shallow water, especially at the seaside.
9. A kitchen utensil shaped like a paddle and used for mixing, beating etc.
10. A broad, flat spanking implement.
11. A broad, flat device used in striking the ball, analogous to a racket in tennis.
12. A flat board with a number of holes or indentations, used to carry small alcoholic drinks such as shots.
13. A flat limb of an aquatic animal, adapted for swimming.
14. In a sluice, a panel that controls the flow of water.
15. A handheld electrode used for defibrillation or cardioversion.
16. A flipper in a pinball machine.
17. A person's hand.
18. A flap of attached skin that has been cut away from a wound.
19. Alternative form of padel.

## Etymology
Partly from the verb paddle ("to splash, dabble"; see below) and partly from Middle English padell (“small spade”).
Middle English padell is from Medieval Latin padela, itself of uncertain origin: perhaps an alteration of Middle English *spaddle (see also spaddle), a diminutive of spade; or from Latin patella (“pan, plate”), the diminutive of patina, or a merger of the two. Compare Ancient Greek πηδάλιον (pēdálion, “rudder, steering oar”), derived from πηδόν (pēdón, “the blade of an oar; an oar”).

## Easily confused with
- **pale** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paddle-vs-pale)
- **paddy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paddle-vs-paddy)
- **padre** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paddle-vs-padre)
- **parole** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paddle-vs-parole)
- **puddle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paddle-vs-puddle)
- **poodle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paddle-vs-poodle)
- **peddle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paddle-vs-peddle)
- **peddler** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paddle-vs-peddler)
- **padded** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/padded-vs-paddle)

## Common misspellings (7)
`apddle`, `paddel`, `paddlle`, `padlde`, `padle`, `pdadle`, `ppaddle`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/paddle