paddy

/ˈpædi/

//ˈpædi// noun

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

"paddy" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“paddy” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,649. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,649
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Rough or unhusked rice, either before it is milled or as a crop to be harvested.

Corpus desk

Index EN-paddy · paddy · English

paddy · rank #12,649 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,649
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH ottoman

Nearest frequency peer: ottoman (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “paddy”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “paddy” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

paddy vs pay
60% similar
paddy vs paid
60% similar
paddy vs pads
60% similar

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

Key facts for paddy
PropertyValue
Headwordpaddy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpædi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#12,649
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “paddy”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).paddylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “ottoman” (#12,648), “paperback” (#12,650), “nostalgia” (#12,647). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “paddy” is #12,649. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around paddy (IPA /ˈpædi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,649 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for paddy, with forms such as "apddy", "paddyy", and "pady". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pay", "paid", "pads", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Malay padi (“paddy plant”). Doublet of palay. The correct English form is paddy, spelled P-A-D-D-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Rough or unhusked rice, either before it is milled or as a crop to be harvested.
  2. 2
    A paddy field, a rice paddy; an irrigated or flooded field where rice is grown.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Taking out a handful of paddy the old woman exclaimed, “Look how good this paddy is! It is called Malbhog – it makes excellent puffed rice.”

Etymology

Borrowed from Malay padi (“paddy plant”). Doublet of palay.

This word in other languages

arrozal(Español)paddy(Français)Reisfeld(Deutsch)arrozal(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apddy
  • paddyy
  • pady
  • padyd
  • pdady
  • ppaddy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of paddy - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

apddy2paddyy1pady1padyd2pdady2ppaddy1
Edit distance from "paddy"

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 "paddy"?
"paddy" is spelled P-A-D-D-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpædi/.
What does "paddy" mean?
As a noun, "paddy" means: Rough or unhusked rice, either before it is milled or as a crop to be harvested.
What words are commonly confused with "paddy"?
"paddy" is commonly confused with "pay", "paid", "pads". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "paddy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "paddy" is /ˈpædi/. 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 "paddy"?
Borrowed from Malay padi (“paddy plant”). Doublet of palay. 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 "paddy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

paved#12,651Malik#12,636mails#12,635lotus#12,633

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

meth6 variantshath6 variantstally6 variantsEbola6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list