Atypical

How to spell atypical

8 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce atypical

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does atypical mean?

1. adjectiveNot conforming to the usual type or pattern; unusual or out of the ordinary.

Atypical in a sentence

• The scan revealed an atypical growth that needed further tests.

• His quiet response was atypical for someone so outspoken.

Where does atypical come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word is built from the Greek negative prefix 'a-', meaning 'not' or 'without', joined to 'typical', which itself traces back to the Greek 'tupos', literally 'a blow' or 'the mark left by a blow', and so by extension an impression, a stamp, or a model. From that root English developed 'type' and 'typical', meaning conforming to a recognised pattern. Adding the privative 'a-' produces the sense of something that departs from the usual pattern, and the formation entered English in the nineteenth century, largely through scientific and medical writing where precision about what counts as normal mattered. The single 'a' at the front carries all the negative weight, which is exactly the spelling trap: there is no double letter and no 'un-' prefix, just one quiet 'a' attached to 'typical'.

How the word is built

• a- (not, without)
• typ (from Greek tupos: impression, model, type)
• -ical (adjective suffix)