paraffin
/ˈpæɹ.ə.fɪn/
"paraffin" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“paraffin” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,380. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #40,380
- frequency rank, English
- 46,516
- “P” headwords
- 10
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A petroleum-based thin and colourless fuel oil.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | paraffin |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpæɹ.ə.fɪn/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #40,380 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “paraffin” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 10 spelling variants around paraffin (IPA /ˈpæɹ.ə.fɪn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #40,380 among 46,516 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for paraffin, with forms such as "apraffin", "paarffin", and "paraffinn". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin paraffinum, from parum (too little) + affinis (related, affinity). Therefore low affinity or being chemically neutral. The correct English form is paraffin, spelled P-A-R-A-F-F-I-N.
Definition
- 1A petroleum-based thin and colourless fuel oil.
- 2Any member of the alkane hydrocarbons.
- 3Paraffin wax.
Etymology
From Latin paraffinum, from parum (too little) + affinis (related, affinity). Therefore low affinity or being chemically neutral.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- apraffin
- paarffin
- paraffinn
- paraffni
- parafifn
- parafin
- parfafin
- parraffin
- pparaffin
- praaffin
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of paraffin - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “paraffin”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-A-R-A-F-F-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpæɹ.ə.fɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Same frequency band
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.