padawan

\pa.da.wan\

/\pa.da.wan\/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“padawan” is uncommon French (frequency #56,158 among 248,534 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,158
frequency rank, French
248,534
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Apprenti Jedi de l’univers de La Guerre des étoiles, œuvre de George Lucas.

Key facts for padawan
PropertyValue
Headwordpadawan
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pa.da.wan\
Letters7
Frequency rank#56,158
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “padawan” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). padawan lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

padawan is uncommon French at frequency #56,158 among 248,534 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \pa.da.wan\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for padawan in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is padawan, spelled P-A-D-A-W-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Apprenti Jedi de l’univers de La Guerre des étoiles, œuvre de George Lucas.
  2. 2
    Apprenti, dans un autre domaine que l’univers original.
  3. 3
    Personne inexpérimentée.

This word in other languages

padawan(English)

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "padawan"?
"padawan" is spelled P-A-D-A-W-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is \pa.da.wan\.
What does "padawan" mean?
As a noun, "padawan" means: Apprenti Jedi de l’univers de La Guerre des étoiles, œuvre de George Lucas.
How do you pronounce "padawan"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "padawan" is \pa.da.wan\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "padawan" come from?
"padawan" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “padawan”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is P-A-D-A-W-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pa.da.wan\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list