paranormal
adjective, noun
paranormal is spelled P-A-R-A-N-O-R-M-A-L: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,613th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, paranormal means “Of events, experiences, or phenomenona, that cannot be explained by current scientific understanding or natural laws” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in paranormal?
| Letters | 10: P-A-R-A-N-O-R-M-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.0 times per million words; the 15,613th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is paranormal?
Paranormal appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,613th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce paranormal?
Paranormal has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of paranormal
- more paranormal comparative
- most paranormal superlative
- paranormals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does paranormal mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of events, experiences, or phenomenona, that cannot be explained by current scientific understanding or natural laws.
noun
- 1
Paranormal phenomenona collectively: all things paranormal; things with paranormality.
Our next guest has spent a 40-year career studying the paranormal, and he has some thoughts he wants to share with our audience tonight.
- 2
A person to whom paranormal powers are attributed.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Paranormal in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense that cannot be explained by scientific methods:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | paranormal |
| Spanish | paranormal |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does paranormal come from?
From para- (“beyond”) + normal; compare supernatural. First use appears c. 1905.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).