paradox
/ˈpæ.ɹəˌdɒks/noun
paradox is spelled P-A-R-A-D-O-X: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 4.3 times per million words in written English, the 12,397th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, paradox means “An apparently self-contradictory statement, which can only be true if it is false, and vice versa” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of paradox is paradoxes.
How many letters and syllables are in paradox?
| Letters | 7: P-A-R-A-D-O-X |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.3 times per million words; the 12,397th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is paradox?
Paradox appears 4.3 times per million words in written English, the 12,397th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce paradox?
- UK /ˈpæ.ɹəˌdɒks/
- /ˈpæɹ.əˌdɑks/
- /ˈpɛɹ.əˌdɑks/
Paradox has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-paradox.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of paradox
- paradoxes plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does paradox mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An apparently self-contradictory statement, which can only be true if it is false, and vice versa.
"This sentence is false" is a paradox.
- 2
A counterintuitive conclusion or outcome.
It is an interesting paradox that drinking a lot of water can often make you feel thirsty.
- 3
A claim that two apparently contradictory ideas are true.
Not having a fashion is a fashion; that's a paradox.
- 4
A thing involving contradictory yet interrelated elements that exist simultaneously and persist over time.
- 5
A person or thing having contradictory properties.
He is a paradox; you would not expect him in that political party.
- 6
An unanswerable question or difficult puzzle, particularly one which leads to a deeper truth.
- 7
obsoleteA statement which is difficult to believe, or which goes against general belief.
- 8
The use of counterintuitive or contradictory statements (paradoxes) in speech or writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Paradox in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does paradox come from?
From Middle French paradoxe, from Latin paradoxum, from Ancient Greek παράδοξος (parádoxos, “unexpected, strange”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).