paprika

/pəˈpɹiːkə/

//pəˈpɹiːkə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“paprika” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,529. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,529
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Powdered spice made from dried and ground fruits of sweet pepper (bell pepper) or chili pepper (cultivars of Capsicum annuum), or mixtures of these (used especially in Hungarian cooking).

Corpus desk

Index EN-paprika · paprika · English

paprika · rank #30,529 · 10 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #30,529
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Patagonia

Nearest frequency peer: Patagonia (+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 “paprika”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “paprika” 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).

paprika vs parka
71% similar

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

Key facts for paprika
PropertyValue
Headwordpaprika
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pəˈpɹiːkə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#30,529
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “paprika”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).paprikalands 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 “Patagonia” (#30,530), “overpass” (#30,527), “pathogenic” (#30,531). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “paprika” is #30,529. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around paprika (IPA /pəˈpɹiːkə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #30,529 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for paprika, with forms such as "apprika", "papirka", and "papprika". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "parka", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Hungarian paprika, from Serbo-Croatian pàprika, from pȁpar, from Proto-Slavic *pьpьrь, from Latin piper, from Ancient Greek πέπερι (péperi, “pepper”), from Indo-Aryan; compare Sanskrit पिप्पलि (pippali, “long pepper”). Akin to paprikash. The correct English form is paprika, spelled P-A-P-R-I-K-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Powdered spice made from dried and ground fruits of sweet pepper (bell pepper) or chili pepper (cultivars of Capsicum annuum), or mixtures of these (used especially in Hungarian cooking).
  2. 2
    A variety of the spice.
  3. 3
    A dried but not yet ground fruit of sweet pepper (bell pepper) or chili pepper sold for use as a spice.
  4. 4
    A bright reddish orange colour resembling that of the ground spice.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. As a condiment in food, paprika is reputed to be strongly aphrodisiac.
  2. California is taking the lead, producing a paprika that is more standardized and more uniformly available than the European growers offer.

Etymology

Borrowed from Hungarian paprika, from Serbo-Croatian pàprika, from pȁpar, from Proto-Slavic *pьpьrь, from Latin piper, from Ancient Greek πέπερι (péperi, “pepper”), from Indo-Aryan; compare Sanskrit पिप्पलि (pippali, “long pepper”). Akin to paprikash.

This word in other languages

pimentón(Español)paprika(Français)Paprika(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apprika
  • papirka
  • papprika
  • papriak
  • paprikka
  • paprkia
  • paprrika
  • parpika
  • ppaprika
  • pparika

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of paprika - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

apprika2papirka2papprika1papriak2paprikka1paprkia2paprrika1parpika2
Edit distance from "paprika"

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 "paprika"?
"paprika" is spelled P-A-P-R-I-K-A. The IPA pronunciation is /pəˈpɹiːkə/.
What does "paprika" mean?
As a noun, "paprika" means: Powdered spice made from dried and ground fruits of sweet pepper (bell pepper) or chili pepper (cultivars of Capsicum annuum), or mixtures of these (used especially in Hungarian cooking).
What words are commonly confused with "paprika"?
"paprika" is commonly confused with "parka". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "paprika"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "paprika" is /pəˈpɹiːkə/. 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 "paprika"?
Borrowed from Hungarian paprika, from Serbo-Croatian pàprika, from pȁpar, from Proto-Slavic *pьpьrь, from Latin piper, from Ancient Greek πέπερι (péperi, “pepper”), from Indo-Aryan; compare Sanskrit पिप्पलि (pippali, “long pepper”). Akin to paprik... 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 "paprika", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

peeking#30,532nitrous#30,513profane#30,548misread#30,504

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

overpass10 variantsPfeiffer10 variantsreaping10 variantsreprise10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list