papilla

/pəˈpɪl.ə/

//pəˈpɪl.ə// noun

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

"papilla" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“papilla” is uncommon English (frequency #99,672 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#99,672
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A nipple-like protuberance on a part or organ of the body.

Corpus desk

Index EN-papilla · papilla · English

papilla · rank #99,672 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #99,672
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH paramedical

Nearest frequency peer: paramedical (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “papilla”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “papilla” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for papilla
PropertyValue
Headwordpapilla
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pəˈpɪl.ə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#99,672
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “papilla” in English

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).papillafalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “paramedical” (#99,673), “paratha” (#99,674), “paned” (#99,669). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “papilla” is #99,672. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

papilla is uncommon English at frequency #99,672 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /pəˈpɪl.ə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for papilla, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin papilla (“a nipple, teat”). The correct English form is papilla, spelled P-A-P-I-L-L-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A nipple-like protuberance on a part or organ of the body.
  2. 2
    A nipple-like protuberance on a part or organ of the body.
  3. 3
    A nipple-like protuberance on a part or organ of the body.
  4. 4
    A small fleshy projection on a plant.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin papilla (“a nipple, teat”).

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 "papilla"?
"papilla" is spelled P-A-P-I-L-L-A. The IPA pronunciation is /pəˈpɪl.ə/.
What does "papilla" mean?
As a noun, "papilla" means: A nipple-like protuberance on a part or organ of the body.
How do you pronounce "papilla"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "papilla" is /pəˈpɪl.ə/. 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 "papilla"?
Borrowed from Latin papilla (“a nipple, teat”). 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 "papilla", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

paratha#99,674Pahrump#99,667Paulino#99,684odorous#99,645

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list