tapeworm

/ˈteɪpˌwɝm/

//ˈteɪpˌwɝm// noun

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

"tapeworm" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tapeworm” is uncommon English (frequency #52,036 among 27,828 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,036
frequency rank, English
27,828
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any parasitical worm of the class or infraclass Cestoda, which infests the intestines of animals, including humans, often infecting different host species during their life cycle.

Key facts for tapeworm
PropertyValue
Headwordtapeworm
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈteɪpˌwɝm/
Letters8
Frequency rank#52,036
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tapeworm” 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). tapeworm 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

tapeworm is uncommon English at frequency #52,036 among 27,828 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈteɪpˌwɝm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for tapeworm in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From tape + worm. The correct English form is tapeworm, spelled T-A-P-E-W-O-R-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any parasitical worm of the class or infraclass Cestoda, which infests the intestines of animals, including humans, often infecting different host species during their life cycle.
  2. 2
    Any parasitical worm of the class or infraclass Cestoda, which infests the intestines of animals, including humans, often infecting different host species during their life cycle.
  3. 3
    Infection by tapeworms.

Etymology

From tape + worm.

Synonyms

cestode

This word in other languages

tenia(Español)ver solitaire(Français)Bandwurm(Deutsch)tênia(Português)

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 "tapeworm"?
"tapeworm" is spelled T-A-P-E-W-O-R-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈteɪpˌwɝm/.
What does "tapeworm" mean?
As a noun, "tapeworm" means: Any parasitical worm of the class or infraclass Cestoda, which infests the intestines of animals, including humans, often infecting different host species during their life cycle.
How do you pronounce "tapeworm"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tapeworm" is /ˈteɪpˌwɝm/. 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 "tapeworm"?
From tape + worm. 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 “tapeworm”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is T-A-P-E-W-O-R-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈteɪpˌwɝm/ (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