Pronunciation guide

How to pronounce paradigm

PA-ruh-dime - three syllables; the 'g' is silent, and '-igm' sounds like 'time'

US/ˈpæɹ.ə.daɪm/

pæɹədaɪm

UK/ˈpæɹ.ə.daɪm/

pæɹədaɪm

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Common mistake

The 'g' is silent - 'PA-ruh-dime', not 'PA-ruh-dig-um'.

What “paradigm” means

A pattern, a way of doing something; especially a pattern of thought, a system of beliefs, a conceptual framework.

An example serving as the model for such a pattern; an exceptionally good or prototypical example of a pattern or group.

In a sentence

  • A paradigm is a pattern or framework for thinking about a problem or system.
  • Thomas Kuhn's concept of paradigm shifts describes how scientific beliefs change.

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Definitions and examples are derived from Wiktionary, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, then edited by QuickPronounce. Pronunciation data draws on CMUdict.