attune

/əˈtjuːn/

//əˈtjuːn// verb

"attune" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“attune” is uncommon English (frequency #97,812 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#97,812
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To bring into musical accord.

Corpus desk

Index EN-attune · attune · English

attune · rank #97,812 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #97,812
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH aube

Nearest frequency peer: aube (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

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.

Long-tail ranks near “attune”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “attune” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for attune
PropertyValue
Headwordattune
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈtjuːn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#97,812
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “attune” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).attunefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “aube” (#97,813), “AWI” (#97,815), “Aspinwall” (#97,808). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “attune” is #97,812. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

attune is uncommon English at frequency #97,812 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /əˈtjuːn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

attune doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From ad- + tune. The correct English form is attune, spelled A-T-T-U-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To bring into musical accord.
  2. 2
    To tune (an instrument).
  3. 3
    To bring into harmony or accord.
  4. 4
    To fill with music.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. By meditating, I try to attune myself to the greater cosmos.
  2. Is yonder wave the sun's eternal bed? / Soon shall the orient with new lustre burn, / And spring shall soon her vital influence shed, / Again attune the grove, […]

Etymology

From ad- + tune.

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); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "attune"?
"attune" is spelled A-T-T-U-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈtjuːn/.
What does "attune" mean?
As a verb, "attune" means: To bring into musical accord.
How do you pronounce "attune"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "attune" is /əˈtjuːn/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "attune"?
From ad- + tune. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "attune", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list