paragraph
/ˈpæɹəɡɹɑːf/
"paragraph" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“paragraph” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,817 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #6,817
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A passage in text that starts on a new line, the first line sometimes being indented, and usually marks a change of topic.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | paragraph |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpæɹəɡɹɑːf/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #6,817 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “paragraph” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for paragraph is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpæɹəɡɹɑːf/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,817 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for paragraph, with forms such as "apragraph", "paargraph", and "paragarph". 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, "paragraphs", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English paragraf, from Middle French paragraphe from Latin paragraphus (“sign for start of a new section of discourse”), from Ancient Greek παράγραφος (parágraphos), from παρά (pará, “beside”) and γράφω (gráphō, “to write”). Doublet of paragraphos. The correct English form is paragraph, spelled P-A-R-A-G-R-A-P-H.
Definition
- 1A passage in text that starts on a new line, the first line sometimes being indented, and usually marks a change of topic.
- 2A mark or note set in the margin to call attention to something in the text, such as a change of subject.
- 3A brief article, notice, or announcement, as in a newspaper.
- 4An offset of 16 bytes in Intel memory architectures.
Etymology
From Middle English paragraf, from Middle French paragraphe from Latin paragraphus (“sign for start of a new section of discourse”), from Ancient Greek παράγραφος (parágraphos), from παρά (pará, “beside”) and γράφω (gráphō, “to write”). Doublet of paragraphos.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: apragraph,paargraph,paragarph,paraggraph,paragrahp,paragraphh,paragrapph,paragrpah,paragrraph,parargaph,pargaraph,parragraph,pparagraph,praagraph
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of paragraph - 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.
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 "paragraph"?
What does "paragraph" mean?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “paragraph”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-A-R-A-G-R-A-P-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpæɹəɡɹɑːf/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “paragraphs” - see the side-by-side comparison. paragraph vs paragraphs
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.