Toon or tune?
toon is a noun meaning “A cartoon, especially an animated television show”; tune is a noun meaning “A melody”. In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) tune is about 17 times as common as toon.
What is the difference between toon and tune?
| toon | tune | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun | noun, interjection, verb |
| Meaning | informalA cartoon, especially an animated television show informalA player's avatar or visible character in a massively multiplayer online role-playing game A southeast Asian and Australian tree (Toona ciliata or Toona australis) of the mahogany family with fragrant dark red wood and flowers that yield a dye | A melody A song, or short musical composition To adjust (a musical instrument) so that it produces the correct pitches |
| Example | none recorded | Eric played a catchy tune on his acoustic guitar and Alyssa played the drums |
| Forms | toons 'toons | tunes |
| Pronunciation | /ˈtuːn/ /tuːn/ | /tjuːn/ /tʃuːn/ /tuːn/ |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words | 19 times per million words |
Sources: toon and tune in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of toon and tune
toon
- 1
informalA cartoon, especially an animated television show
- 2
A southeast Asian and Australian tree (Toona ciliata or Toona australis) of the mahogany family with fragrant dark red wood and flowers that yield a dye
- 3
Alternative form of town
- 4
Eye dialect spelling of tune
- 5
Alternative form of toon (“cartoon”)
- 6
informalA player's avatar or visible character in a massively multiplayer online role-playing game
- 7
The wood of this tree
- 8
informalAn animated cartoon character
tune
- 1
A melody
Eric played a catchy tune on his acoustic guitar and Alyssa played the drums
- 2
UKslangUsed to show appreciation or approval of a song
You heard the new Rizzle Kicks song? – Tune!
- 3
To adjust (a musical instrument) so that it produces the correct pitches
to tune a piano or a violin
- 4
A song, or short musical composition
- 5
To adjust or modify (especially a mechanical or electrical device) so that it functions optimally
Tuning the engine gave me an extra twenty horsepower
- 6
informalThe act of tuning or maintenance
Your engine needs a good tune
- 7
To adjust the frequency of a transmitter or receiver, such as on a radio or TV transmitter or receiver, so as to send or receive an electromagnetic signal through a desired frequency band or channel
Tune to Channel 6 for all your favourite daytime shows
- 8
The state or condition of being correctly tuned
Your engine is now in tune
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, toon or tune?
toon appears 1.1 times per million words; tune 19 times per million words.
toon 1.1 times per million wordstune 19 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).