paisa

/ˈpaɪsə/

//ˈpaɪsə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“paisa” is uncommon English (frequency #66,912 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#66,912
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A subdivision of currency, equal to one hundredth of a Indian, Nepalese, or Pakistani rupee.

Key facts for paisa
PropertyValue
Headwordpaisa
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpaɪsə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#66,912
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “paisa” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). paisa lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

paisa is uncommon English at frequency #66,912 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpaɪsə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for paisa in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Hindi पैसा (paisā) / Urdu پَیسَہ (paisa), from Sauraseni Prakrit *𑀧𑀬𑀁𑀲 (*payaṃsa), presumably from unattested Sanskrit *पदांश (*padāṃśa), from पद (pada, “quarter”) + अंश (aṃśa, “part, piece”) in reference its historical value of ¹⁄₄ anna. The correct English form is paisa, spelled P-A-I-S-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A subdivision of currency, equal to one hundredth of a Indian, Nepalese, or Pakistani rupee.
  2. 2
    A subdivision of currency, equal to one hundredth of a Bangladeshi taka.
  3. 3
    A subdivision of currency, equal to one thousandth of an Omani rial.
  4. 4
    A subdivision of various former currencies of India.

Etymology

From Hindi पैसा (paisā) / Urdu پَیسَہ (paisa), from Sauraseni Prakrit *𑀧𑀬𑀁𑀲 (*payaṃsa), presumably from unattested Sanskrit *पदांश (*padāṃśa), from पद (pada, “quarter”) + अंश (aṃśa, “part, piece”) in reference its historical value of ¹⁄₄ anna.

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 "paisa"?
"paisa" is spelled P-A-I-S-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpaɪsə/.
What does "paisa" mean?
As a noun, "paisa" means: A subdivision of currency, equal to one hundredth of a Indian, Nepalese, or Pakistani rupee.
How do you pronounce "paisa"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "paisa" is /ˈpaɪsə/. 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 "paisa"?
From Hindi पैसा (paisā) / Urdu پَیسَہ (paisa), from Sauraseni Prakrit *𑀧𑀬𑀁𑀲 (*payaṃsa), presumably from unattested Sanskrit *पदांश (*padāṃśa), from पद (pada, “quarter”) + अंश (aṃśa, “part, piece”) in reference its historical value of ¹⁄₄ anna. 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.

Using “paisa”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-A-I-S-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpaɪsə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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