paramilitary

/ˌpɛɹəˈmɪlɪˌtɛɹi/

//ˌpɛɹəˈmɪlɪˌtɛɹi// noun

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

"paramilitary" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“paramilitary” has 18 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,464. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,464
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
18
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion, but which do not represent the formal forces of a sovereign power.

Corpus desk

Index EN-paramilitary · paramilitary · English

paramilitary · rank #22,464 · 18 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,464
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 18 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Paralympics

Nearest frequency peer: Paralympics (-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 “paramilitary”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “paramilitary” 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
Key facts for paramilitary
PropertyValue
Headwordparamilitary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌpɛɹəˈmɪlɪˌtɛɹi/
Letters12
Frequency rank#22,464
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “paramilitary”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).paramilitarylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Paralympics” (#22,463), “partridge” (#22,465), “palsy” (#22,462). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “paramilitary” is #22,464. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 18 spelling variants around paramilitary (IPA /ˌpɛɹəˈmɪlɪˌtɛɹi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,464 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for paramilitary, with forms such as "apramilitary", "paarmilitary", and "paraimlitary". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From para- + military. The correct English form is paramilitary, spelled P-A-R-A-M-I-L-I-T-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion, but which do not represent the formal forces of a sovereign power.
  2. 2
    A member of a paramilitary group.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. From the start of its operations in Colombia, the company was on guard against the decadeslong civil strife in the country between left-wing guerrilla and right-wing paramilitary groups, witnesses have testified.
  2. Cossack paramilitaries operate in Ukraine and southern Russia. […] Before he entered eastern Ukraine, Girkin led paramilitary groups in Crimea and negotiated with Ukrainian military officers in attempts to induce them to defect to Russia.

Etymology

From para- + military.

This word in other languages

paramilitar(Español)paramilitaire(Français)paramilitar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apramilitary
  • paarmilitary
  • paraimlitary
  • paramiiltary
  • paramiliatry
  • paramilitarry
  • paramilitaryy
  • paramilitayr
  • paramilitray
  • paramilittary
  • paramillitary
  • paramiltiary
  • paramliitary
  • parammilitary
  • parmailitary
  • parramilitary
  • pparamilitary
  • praamilitary

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of paramilitary - 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.

apramilitary2paarmilitary2paraimlitary2paramiiltary2paramiliatry2paramilitarry1paramilitaryy1paramilitayr2
Edit distance from "paramilitary"

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 "paramilitary"?
"paramilitary" is spelled P-A-R-A-M-I-L-I-T-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌpɛɹəˈmɪlɪˌtɛɹi/.
What does "paramilitary" mean?
As a noun, "paramilitary" means: A group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion, but which do not represent the formal forces of a sovereign power.
What are common misspellings of "paramilitary"?
Common misspellings include "apramilitary", "paarmilitary", "paraimlitary", "paramiiltary", "paramiliatry". The correct spelling is "paramilitary".
How do you pronounce "paramilitary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "paramilitary" is /ˌpɛɹəˈmɪlɪˌtɛɹi/. 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 "paramilitary"?
From para- + military. 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 "paramilitary", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

synchronized#22,520uncontrolled#22,535unparalleled#22,537Williamsburg#22,552

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (18 here; floor ≥5).

Paralympics18 variantsaesthetically18 variantsChristensen18 variantsdebilitating18 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list