# papaya

> English word · Noun · IPA /pəˈpaɪ.ə/ · frequency rank #34,216

## Definitions
1. A tropical American evergreen tree, Carica papaya, having large, yellow, edible fruit.
2. The fruit of this tree.
3. An orange colour, like that of papaya flesh.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish papaya, from Lokono papáia. Possibility a doublet of pawpaw.

## Easily confused with
- **Papua** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/papaya-vs-papua)
- **playa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/papaya-vs-playa)
- **pappy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/papaya-vs-pappy)
- **Pattaya** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/papaya-vs-pattaya)
- **papa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/papa-vs-papaya)
- **papal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/papal-vs-papaya)
- **Panama** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/panama-vs-papaya)
- **papacy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/papacy-vs-papaya)
- **pajama** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pajama-vs-papaya)

## Common misspellings (8)
`appaya`, `paapya`, `papaay`, `papayya`, `pappaya`, `papyaa`, `ppaaya`, `ppapaya`

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