tampon
[ˈtʰæmpɒn]
"tampon" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“tampon” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #33,447 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #33,447
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 5
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A plug of cotton or other absorbent material inserted into a body cavity or wound to absorb fluid, especially one inserted in the vagina during menstruation.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | tampon |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | [ˈtʰæmpɒn] |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #33,447 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 5 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “tampon” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for tampon is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈtʰæmpɒn]. Corpus data places it at rank #33,447 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for tampon, with forms such as "atmpon", "tammpon", and "tamopn". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "tempo", "Timon", "Tampa", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1848. Borrowed from French tampon, from Middle French tampon, a nasalised variant of tapon, a diminutive or augmented form of Old French tape (“plug, bung, tap”), from Frankish *tappō (“stopper, plug”), from Proto-Germanic *tappô (“plug, t… The correct English form is tampon, spelled T-A-M-P-O-N.
Definition
- 1A plug of cotton or other absorbent material inserted into a body cavity or wound to absorb fluid, especially one inserted in the vagina during menstruation.
- 2A double-headed drumstick primarily for the bass drum.
- 3An inking pad used in lithographic printing.
Etymology
First attested in 1848. Borrowed from French tampon, from Middle French tampon, a nasalised variant of tapon, a diminutive or augmented form of Old French tape (“plug, bung, tap”), from Frankish *tappō (“stopper, plug”), from Proto-Germanic *tappô (“plug, tap”). Cognate with Old High German zapfo (“stopper”), Old English tæppa (“stopper”). Doublet of tampion. More at tap.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: atmpon,tammpon,tamopn,tampno,tamponn,tamppon,tapmon,tmapon,ttampon
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tampon - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "tampon"?
What does "tampon" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "tampon"?
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Using “tampon”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is T-A-M-P-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈtʰæmpɒn] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “tempo” - see the side-by-side comparison. tampon vs tempo
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.