parasite
/ˈpæɹəˌsaɪt/
"parasite" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“parasite” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #14,805 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #14,805
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An organism that lives on or in another organism of a different species, deriving benefit from living on or in that other organism, while not contributing towards that other organism sufficiently t...
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | parasite |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpæɹəˌsaɪt/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #14,805 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “parasite” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for parasite is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpæɹəˌsaɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #14,805 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for parasite, with forms such as "aprasite", "paarsite", and "paraiste". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "parasitic", "paradise", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French parasite, from Latin parasitus, from Ancient Greek παράσιτος (parásitos, “person who eats at the table of another”), from noun use of adjective meaning "feeding beside", from παρά (pará, “beside”) + σῖτος (sîtos, “food”). The correct English form is parasite, spelled P-A-R-A-S-I-T-E.
Definition
- 1An organism that lives on or in another organism of a different species, deriving benefit from living on or in that other organism, while not contributing towards that other organism sufficiently to cover the cost to that other organism.
- 2An organism that lives on or in another organism of a different species, deriving benefit from living on or in that other organism, while not contributing towards that other organism sufficiently to cover the cost to that other organism.
- 3A person who lives on other people's efforts or expense and gives little or nothing back.
- 4A sycophant or hanger-on.
- 5A climbing plant which is supported by a wall, trellis etc.
- 6A retainer or companion of an ancient Celtic warrior, who praised him in song or poetry at gatherings; a bard.
- 7A component of a composite aircraft which is carried aloft and air-launched by a larger carrier aircraft or mother ship to support the primary mission of the carrier; a parasite aircraft.
- 8An isolated (FSDU) (freestanding display unit )
Etymology
From Middle French parasite, from Latin parasitus, from Ancient Greek παράσιτος (parásitos, “person who eats at the table of another”), from noun use of adjective meaning "feeding beside", from παρά (pará, “beside”) + σῖτος (sîtos, “food”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: aprasite,paarsite,paraiste,parasiet,parasitte,parassite,parastie,parrasite,parsaite,pparasite,praasite
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of parasite - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "parasite"?
What does "parasite" mean?
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Using “parasite”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-A-R-A-S-I-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpæɹəˌsaɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “parasitic” - see the side-by-side comparison. parasite vs parasitic
- 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.