Tonus

[ˈtoːnʊs]

/[ˈtoːnʊs]/ noun

The verdict

“Tonus” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Grad des ständigen Spannungszustandes von lebendem Gewebe, Organen oder Organteilen, insbesondere der Muskeln, Gefäße und Nerven

Corpus desk

Index DE-tonus · Tonus · German

Tonus · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "T" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for Tonus
PropertyValue
HeadwordTonus
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈtoːnʊs]
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Tonus“ im Deutschen

Tonusliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Tonus is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈtoːnʊs]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for Tonus in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct German form is Tonus, spelled T-O-N-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Grad des ständigen Spannungszustandes von lebendem Gewebe, Organen oder Organteilen, insbesondere der Muskeln, Gefäße und Nerven
  2. 2
    ein Ganzton
  3. 3
    der Zustand der Empfindlichkeit von Pflanzen gegenüber Umweltreizen

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Tonus appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Tonische Muskulatur hielt man bisher für ein System, das den Tonus (Spannungszustand) eines relaxierten Körpers aufrecht erhält, damit er nicht in sich zusammensackt.
  2. Aus Tierversuchen und der klinischen Praxis ist bekannt, dass Epo viel mehr bewirkt, als die roten Blutkörperchen zu vermehren. Es steigert den Blutdruck und den Tonus der Blutgefäße, fördert die Bildung feinster Blutgefäße in Muskeln und Gehirn.

Synonyms

AnspannungSpannungSpannungszustandGanztongroße SekundeReizempfänglichkeit

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Tonus"?
"Tonus" is spelled T-O-N-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈtoːnʊs].
What does "Tonus" mean?
As a noun, "Tonus" means: Grad des ständigen Spannungszustandes von lebendem Gewebe, Organen oder Organteilen, insbesondere der Muskeln, Gefäße und Nerven
How do you pronounce "Tonus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Tonus" is [ˈtoːnʊs]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Tonus" come from?
"Tonus" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list