tambourine

/ˌtæm.bəˈɹiːn/

//ˌtæm.bəˈɹiːn// noun

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

"tambourine" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tambourine” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #45,115. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#45,115
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A percussion instrument consisting of a small, usually wooden, hoop closed on one side with a drum frame and featuring jingling metal disks on the tread; it is most often held in the hand and shake...

Corpus desk

Index EN-tambourine · tambourine · English

tambourine · rank #45,115 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #45,115
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH Tacitus

Nearest frequency peer: Tacitus (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “tambourine”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tambourine” 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
Key facts for tambourine
PropertyValue
Headwordtambourine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌtæm.bəˈɹiːn/
Letters10
Frequency rank#45,115
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tambourine”

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).tambourinelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Tacitus” (#45,114), “tangy” (#45,116), “sweetwater” (#45,112). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tambourine” is #45,115. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around tambourine (IPA /ˌtæm.bəˈɹiːn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #45,115 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for tambourine, with forms such as "atmbourine", "tabmourine", and "tambbourine". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. 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 French tambourin (“little drum”), from French tambour (“drum”). Ultimately from Arabic طُنْبُور (ṭunbūr); see it and Persian تنبور for more. The correct English form is tambourine, spelled T-A-M-B-O-U-R-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A percussion instrument consisting of a small, usually wooden, hoop closed on one side with a drum frame and featuring jingling metal disks on the tread; it is most often held in the hand and shaken rhythmically; by extension, any frame drum.
  2. 2
    A tambourine dove (Turtur tympanistria).
  3. 3
    A kind of Provençal dance.
  4. 4
    The music for this dance.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Tambourines are shy birds and do not tame easily.

Etymology

From French tambourin (“little drum”), from French tambour (“drum”). Ultimately from Arabic طُنْبُور (ṭunbūr); see it and Persian تنبور for more.

This word in other languages

pandereta(Español)tambour de basque(Français)Tamburin(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • atmbourine
  • tabmourine
  • tambbourine
  • tamboruine
  • tambouirne
  • tambourien
  • tambourinne
  • tambournie
  • tambourrine
  • tambuorine
  • tammbourine
  • tamoburine
  • tmabourine
  • ttambourine

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tambourine - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

atmbourine2tabmourine2tambbourine1tamboruine2tambouirne2tambourien2tambourinne1tambournie2
Edit distance from "tambourine"

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 "tambourine"?
"tambourine" is spelled T-A-M-B-O-U-R-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌtæm.bəˈɹiːn/.
What does "tambourine" mean?
As a noun, "tambourine" means: A percussion instrument consisting of a small, usually wooden, hoop closed on one side with a drum frame and featuring jingling metal disks on the tread; it is most often held in the hand and shake...
What are common misspellings of "tambourine"?
Common misspellings include "atmbourine", "tabmourine", "tambbourine", "tamboruine", "tambouirne". The correct spelling is "tambourine".
How do you pronounce "tambourine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tambourine" is /ˌtæm.bəˈɹiːn/. 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 "tambourine"?
From French tambourin (“little drum”), from French tambour (“drum”). Ultimately from Arabic طُنْبُور (ṭunbūr); see it and Persian تنبور for more. 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 "tambourine", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sweetwater#45,112ulcerative#45,139unabridged#45,140unbearably#45,141

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

showrunner14 variantsWilkerson14 variantswintering14 variantsworthiness14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list