# paella

> English word · Noun · IPA /paɪˈ(j)ɛl(j)ə/ · frequency rank #45,566

## Definitions
1. A savory Valencian dish made of rice, cooked in a frying pan with vegetables and meat or shellfish.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Catalan paella (“pot; pan”), from Old French paelle, from Latin patella (“plate, small pan”). Doublet of patella and possibly pail.

## Easily confused with
- **pell** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paella-vs-pell)
- **pall** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paella-vs-pall)
- **pala** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paella-vs-pala)
- **Paula** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paella-vs-paula)
- **palma** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paella-vs-palma)
- **Paola** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paella-vs-paola)
- **Pamela** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paella-vs-pamela)
- **Pallas** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paella-vs-pallas)
- **Padilla** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/padilla-vs-paella)

## Common misspellings (6)
`apella`, `paela`, `paelal`, `palela`, `pealla`, `ppaella`

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