tante

/ˈtɑn.tə/

//ˈtɑn.tə// noun

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

The verdict

“tante” is uncommon English (frequency #71,148 among 27,828 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,148
frequency rank, English
27,828
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A Jewish aunt.

Key facts for tante
PropertyValue
Headwordtante
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɑn.tə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#71,148
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tante” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tante is uncommon English at frequency #71,148 among 27,828 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtɑn.tə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A Jewish aunt.".

Zero misspellings are on record for tante in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Yiddish טאַנטע (tante), from German Tante, from French tante. The correct English form is tante, spelled T-A-N-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A Jewish aunt.

Etymology

Borrowed from Yiddish טאַנטע (tante), from German Tante, from French tante.

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 "tante"?
"tante" is spelled T-A-N-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɑn.tə/.
What does "tante" mean?
As a noun, "tante" means: A Jewish aunt.
How do you pronounce "tante"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tante" is /ˈtɑn.tə/. 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 "tante"?
Borrowed from Yiddish טאַנטע (tante), from German Tante, from French tante. 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.

Using “tante”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is T-A-N-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈtɑn.tə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list