# paranoia

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˌpæɹ.əˈnɔɪ.ə/ · frequency rank #16,766

## Definitions
1. A psychotic disorder, now called delusional disorder, often (in one of six subtypes) characterized by delusions of persecution and a perceived threat against the individual affected with the disorder, and often associated with false accusations and a general mistrust of others.
2. Extreme, irrational distrust of others.

## Etymology
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek παράνοια (paránoia, “madness”), from παράνοος (paránoos, “demented”), from παρά (pará, “beyond, beside”) + νόος (nóos, “mind, spirit”).
By surface analysis, para- (“abnormal, beyond”) + nous (“mind”) + -ia (“(medical) condition”).

## Easily confused with
- **paranoid** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paranoia-vs-paranoid)

## Common misspellings (10)
`apranoia`, `paarnoia`, `paranioa`, `parannoia`, `paranoai`, `paraonia`, `parnaoia`, `parranoia`, `pparanoia`, `praanoia`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/paranoia