paragon

/ˈpæɹəɡən/

//ˈpæɹəɡən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“paragon” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,239. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,239
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person of preeminent qualities, who acts as a pattern or model for others.

Corpus desk

Index EN-paragon · paragon · English

paragon · rank #27,239 · 10 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,239
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH overcrowding

Nearest frequency peer: overcrowding (-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 “paragon”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “paragon” 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).

paragon vs pardon
71% similar
paragon vs parton
71% similar
paragon vs parson
71% similar

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

Key facts for paragon
PropertyValue
Headwordparagon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpæɹəɡən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#27,239
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “paragon”

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).paragonlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “overcrowding” (#27,238), “parochial” (#27,240), “overcast” (#27,237). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “paragon” is #27,239. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around paragon (IPA /ˈpæɹəɡən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,239 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for paragon, with forms such as "apragon", "paargon", and "paraggon". 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. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "pardon", "parton", "parson", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Anglo-Norman paragone, peragone, Middle French paragon, from Italian paragone (“comparison”) or Spanish parangón, from Byzantine Greek παρακόνη (parakónē, “whetstone”), from Ancient Greek παρακονάω (parakonáō, “I sharpen, whet”), from παρά (pará) + ἀκό… The correct English form is paragon, spelled P-A-R-A-G-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person of preeminent qualities, who acts as a pattern or model for others.
  2. 2
    A companion; a match; an equal.
  3. 3
    Comparison; competition.
  4. 4
    The size of type between great primer and double pica, standardized as 20-point.
  5. 5
    A flawless diamond of at least 100 carats.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In the novel, Constanza is a paragon of virtue who would never compromise her reputation.
  2. What a piece of worke is man! how Noble in Reaſon? […] the beauty of the world, the Parragon of Animals;

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman paragone, peragone, Middle French paragon, from Italian paragone (“comparison”) or Spanish parangón, from Byzantine Greek παρακόνη (parakónē, “whetstone”), from Ancient Greek παρακονάω (parakonáō, “I sharpen, whet”), from παρά (pará) + ἀκόνη (akónē, “whetstone”) (from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”)).

This word in other languages

dechado(Español)parangon(Français)Vorbild(Deutsch)modelo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apragon
  • paargon
  • paraggon
  • paragno
  • paragonn
  • paraogn
  • pargaon
  • parragon
  • pparagon
  • praagon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of paragon - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

apragon2paargon2paraggon1paragno2paragonn1paraogn2pargaon2parragon1
Edit distance from "paragon"

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 "paragon"?
"paragon" is spelled P-A-R-A-G-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpæɹəɡən/.
What does "paragon" mean?
As a noun, "paragon" means: A person of preeminent qualities, who acts as a pattern or model for others.
What words are commonly confused with "paragon"?
"paragon" is commonly confused with "pardon", "parton", "parson". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "paragon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "paragon" is /ˈpæɹəɡən/. 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 "paragon"?
From Anglo-Norman paragone, peragone, Middle French paragon, from Italian paragone (“comparison”) or Spanish parangón, from Byzantine Greek παρακόνη (parakónē, “whetstone”), from Ancient Greek παρακονάω (parakonáō, “I sharpen, whet”), from παρά (p... 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 "paragon", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

ostrich#27,236petting#27,244Navarro#27,230pruning#27,254

Similar misspelling depth

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

misused10 variantsLothian10 variantsshards10 variantsSheehan10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list