# psychic

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈsaɪkɪk/ · frequency rank #9,653

## Definitions
1. A person who possesses, or appears to possess, extra-sensory abilities such as precognition, clairvoyance, and telepathy, or who appears to be susceptible to paranormal or supernatural influences.
2. A person who supposedly contacts the dead; a medium.
3. In gnostic theologian Valentinus' triadic grouping of man the second type; a person focused on intellectual reality (the other two being hylic and pneumatic).

## Etymology
From Ancient Greek ψυχικός (psukhikós, “relative to the soul, spirit, mind”). Earlier referred to as "psychical"; or from Ancient Greek ψυχή (psukhḗ, “soul, mind, psyche”). First appeared (as substantive) 1871 and first records 1895.

## Easily confused with
- **psycho** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/psychic-vs-psycho)
- **psychotic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/psychic-vs-psychotic)
- **psych** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/psych-vs-psychic)
- **psyche** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/psyche-vs-psychic)
- **psyched** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/psyched-vs-psychic)

## Common misspellings (12)
`ppsychic`, `pscyhic`, `pssychic`, `psycchic`, `psychci`, `psychhic`, `psychicc`, `psycihc`, `psyhcic`, `psyychic`, `pyschic`, `spychic`

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