paralipsis
/ˌpæ.ɹəˈlɪp.sɪs/
"paralipsis" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“paralipsis” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A figure of speech in which one pretends to ignore or omit something by actually mentioning it.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | paralipsis |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌpæ.ɹəˈlɪp.sɪs/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “paralipsis” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
paralipsis is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌpæ.ɹəˈlɪp.sɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A figure of speech in which one pretends to ignore or omit something by actually mentioning it.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for paralipsis, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek παράλειψις (paráleipsis, “omission”), from παραλείπω (paraleípō, “I pass over”), from παρά (pará, “by, near”) + λείπω (leípō, “I leave”). The correct English form is paralipsis, spelled P-A-R-A-L-I-P-S-I-S.
Definition
- 1A figure of speech in which one pretends to ignore or omit something by actually mentioning it.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek παράλειψις (paráleipsis, “omission”), from παραλείπω (paraleípō, “I pass over”), from παρά (pará, “by, near”) + λείπω (leípō, “I leave”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “paralipsis”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-A-R-A-L-I-P-S-I-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌpæ.ɹəˈlɪp.sɪs/ (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
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.