Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

para-

/ˈpɛɹə/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.85 in modern English

Syllables
par-a-
IPA
/ˈpɛɹə/
6
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
2
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

prefix

beside, alongside

prefix

beside, alongside

prefix

between

prefix

around, surrounding

prefix

around, surrounding

prefix

adjacent, next to

prefix

near

prefix

opposite of, on the far side of

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- Proto-Hellenic *pərai Ancient Greek πᾰρᾰ́ (părắ) Ancient Greek πᾰρᾰ- (pără-)der. English para- From Ancient Greek παρα- (para-, “beside, next to”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈpɛɹə/
  • British English: /ˈpæɹə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

par- (alternative)

Derived Forms

parabola paradigm paradox parallel parallelogram paramedic paramilitary parasite paratext paravirtualization parabiology paranormal

Phrases

P- para-bore protection against bore parafrag bomb para-archery para-athlete para-canoe para-cycling

Frequently Paired Words

parachute parados paragrele parapet parasol paravent

Synonyms

dia- inter- cellular paracellular conule paraconule circum- peri- juxta- trans- epi- hyper-

Questions

How do you pronounce para-?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɛɹə/.
What does para- mean?
beside, alongside
Where does para- come from?
It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce para-

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “para-”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpɛɹə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “para-”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “para-” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.