# tampon

> English word · Noun · IPA [ˈtʰæmpɒn] · frequency rank #33,447

## Definitions
1. 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.
2. A double-headed drumstick primarily for the bass drum.
3. An 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.

## Easily confused with
- **tempo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tampon-vs-tempo)
- **Timon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tampon-vs-timon)
- **Tampa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tampa-vs-tampon)
- **talon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/talon-vs-tampon)
- **tamper** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tamper-vs-tampon)

## Common misspellings (9)
`atmpon`, `tammpon`, `tamopn`, `tampno`, `tamponn`, `tamppon`, `tapmon`, `tmapon`, `ttampon`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/tampon