tarpaulin
/ˈtɑːɹpəlɪn/noun, verb
tarpaulin is spelled T-A-R-P-A-U-L-I-N: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 60,838th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, tarpaulin means “A heavy, waterproof sheet of material, often cloth or plastic sheet, used as a cover or blanket (often as weatherproofing, or to keep loose cargo…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tarpaulin is tarpaulins.
How many letters and syllables are in tarpaulin?
| Letters | 9: T-A-R-P-A-U-L-I-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 60,838th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is tarpaulin?
Tarpaulin appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 60,838th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce tarpaulin?
- UK /tɑˈpɔː.lɪn/
- US /ˈtɑːɹpəlɪn/
- US /tɑɹˈpɔ.lɪn/
Tarpaulin has 3 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-tarpaulin.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of tarpaulin
- tarpaulins plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- tarpaulining participle, present
- tarpaulined participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tarpaulin mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A heavy, waterproof sheet of material, often cloth or plastic sheet, used as a cover or blanket (often as weatherproofing, or to keep loose cargo from blowing off a lorry).
Throw a tarpaulin over that woodpile before it gets wet.
- 2
archaicCanvas waterproofed with tar, used as a cover.
- 3
archaicA hat made of, or covered with, painted or tarred cloth, worn by sailors and others.
Near-synonym: rain hat
- 4
archaicslangA sailor.
verb
- 1
To cover with a tarpaulin.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate tarpaulin?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of tarpaulin: tarp.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tarpaulin in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | bâche , prélart |
| German | Persenning, Plane, Abdeckplane |
| Portuguese | encerado, oleado, lona |
| Spanish | lona alquitranada, lona impermeable, lona, toldo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does tarpaulin come from?
From tar + pall (“heavy canvas”) + -ing. The sailor sense reflects that sailors of centuries past often wore garments made of tarred cloth (for weatherproofing).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).