# particle

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpɑːtɪk(ə)l/ · frequency rank #8,326

## Definitions
1. A very small piece of matter, a fragment; especially, the smallest possible part of something.
2. Any of various physical objects making up the constituent parts of an atom; an elementary particle or subatomic particle.
3. A part of speech that has no inherent lexical definition but must be associated with another word to impart meaning, often a grammatical category: for example, the English word to in a full infinitive phrase (to eat) or O in a vocative phrase (O Canada), or as a discourse marker (mmm).
4. A part of speech which cannot be inflected.
5. In the Roman Catholic church, a crumb of consecrated bread; also the smaller breads used in the communion of the laity.
6. A little bit.

## Etymology
From Middle French particule, and its source, Latin particula (“small part, particle”), diminutive of pars (“part, piece”).

## Easily confused with
- **particles** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/particle-vs-particles)
- **partial** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/partial-vs-particle)
- **participle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/participle-vs-particle)

## Common misspellings (12)
`aprticle`, `paritcle`, `parrticle`, `partcile`, `particcle`, `particel`, `particlle`, `partilce`, `partticle`, `patricle`, `pparticle`, `praticle`

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