tabby

/ˈtæb.i/

//ˈtæb.i// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"tabby" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tabby” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,725. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,725
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A kind of waved silk, usually called watered silk, manufactured like taffeta, but thicker and stronger. The watering is given to it by calendering.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tabby · tabby · English

tabby · rank #37,725 · 6 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #37,725
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH sylvan

Nearest frequency peer: sylvan (-3 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “tabby”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “tabby” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

tabby vs tay
60% similar
tabby vs toby
60% similar
tabby vs table
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for tabby
PropertyValue
Headwordtabby
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtæb.i/
Letters5
Frequency rank#37,725
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tabby”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).tabbylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “sylvan” (#37,722), “Tatar” (#37,728), “surmounted” (#37,720). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tabby” is #37,725. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around tabby (IPA /ˈtæb.i/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #37,725 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for tabby, with forms such as "atbby", "tabbyy", and "taby". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "tay", "toby", "table", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Mid 17th century French tabis, from Arabic عَتَّابِيّ (ʕattābiyy), ultimately from Arabic الْعَتَّابِيَّة (al-ʕattābiyya), a quarter of Baghdad (named for a Prince عَتَّاب (ʕattāb)) which is associated with the manufacture of a certain type of waved silk. S… The correct English form is tabby, spelled T-A-B-B-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A kind of waved silk, usually called watered silk, manufactured like taffeta, but thicker and stronger. The watering is given to it by calendering.
  2. 2
    A concrete mixture of lime with shells, gravel, or stones, in equal proportions, with an equal proportion of water. When dry, this becomes as hard as rock.
  3. 3
    A brindled cat.
  4. 4
    A woman, irrespective of age, but often used for a young, attractive woman.
  5. 5
    An old maid or gossip.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "Ay, ay; she wore a flowered silk tabby sacque, on band days," said Toole, who had an eye and a corner in his memory for female costume, "a fine showy—I remember."
  2. A wise tabby, a blinking sphinx, watched from her warm sill. Pity to disturb them. Mohammed cut a piece out of his mantle not to wake her.

Etymology

Mid 17th century French tabis, from Arabic عَتَّابِيّ (ʕattābiyy), ultimately from Arabic الْعَتَّابِيَّة (al-ʕattābiyya), a quarter of Baghdad (named for a Prince عَتَّاب (ʕattāb)) which is associated with the manufacture of a certain type of waved silk. See also taffeta, another type of silk whose name derives from the Persian تافته (tâfta, “woven cloth”) and shares a similar etymological origin.

Synonyms

old woman

This word in other languages

chat tigré(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • atbby
  • tabbyy
  • taby
  • tabyb
  • tbaby
  • ttabby

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tabby - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

atbby2tabbyy1taby1tabyb2tbaby2ttabby1
Edit distance from "tabby"

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 "tabby"?
"tabby" is spelled T-A-B-B-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtæb.i/.
What does "tabby" mean?
As a noun, "tabby" means: A kind of waved silk, usually called watered silk, manufactured like taffeta, but thicker and stronger. The watering is given to it by calendering.
What words are commonly confused with "tabby"?
"tabby" is commonly confused with "tay", "toby", "table". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tabby"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tabby" is /ˈtæb.i/. 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 "tabby"?
Mid 17th century French tabis, from Arabic عَتَّابِيّ (ʕattābiyy), ultimately from Arabic الْعَتَّابِيَّة (al-ʕattābiyya), a quarter of Baghdad (named for a Prince عَتَّاب (ʕattāb)) which is associated with the manufacture of a certain type of wav... 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 "tabby", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Tatar#37,728Stasi#37,706Truro#37,745spate#37,701

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

scoot6 variantsscab6 variantsZips6 variantsSaito6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list