paralytic
/ˌpæɹəˈlɪtɪk/
"paralytic" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“paralytic” is uncommon English (frequency #54,377 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #54,377
- frequency rank, English
- 46,516
- “P” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Someone suffering from paralysis.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | paralytic |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌpæɹəˈlɪtɪk/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #54,377 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “paralytic” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
paralytic is uncommon English at frequency #54,377 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌpæɹəˈlɪtɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for paralytic, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. 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: Borrowed from French paralytique, from Latin paralyticus, from Ancient Greek παραλυτικός (paralutikós, “paralyzed”). The correct English form is paralytic, spelled P-A-R-A-L-Y-T-I-C.
Definition
- 1Someone suffering from paralysis.
- 2A drug that produces paralysis.
Etymology
Borrowed from French paralytique, from Latin paralyticus, from Ancient Greek παραλυτικός (paralutikós, “paralyzed”).
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); 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 "paralytic"?
What does "paralytic" mean?
How do you pronounce "paralytic"?
What is the origin of the word "paralytic"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “paralytic”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-A-R-A-L-Y-T-I-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌpæɹəˈlɪtɪk/ (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
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.