# paradigm

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpæɹ.ə.daɪm/ · frequency rank #12,823

## Definitions
1. A pattern, a way of doing something; especially a pattern of thought, a system of beliefs, a conceptual framework.
2. An example serving as the model for such a pattern; an exceptionally good or prototypical example of a pattern or group.
3. A set of all forms which contain a common element, especially the set of all inflectional forms of a word or a particular grammatical category.

## Etymology
From Middle English paradygme, from Late Latin paradīgma, from Ancient Greek παράδειγμα (parádeigma, “pattern”), from παραδείκνυμι (paradeíknumi, “I show [beside] or compare”) + -μα (-ma, suffix forming nouns concerning the results of actions). Doublet of paradigma.

## Easily confused with
- **paradise** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paradigm-vs-paradise)
- **parading** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paradigm-vs-parading)

## Common misspellings (12)
`apradigm`, `paardigm`, `paraddigm`, `paradgim`, `paradiggm`, `paradigmm`, `paradimg`, `paraidgm`, `pardaigm`, `parradigm`, `pparadigm`, `praadigm`

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