Tates

name

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

The verdict

“Tates” is uncommon English (frequency #96,549 among 27,828 “T” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#96,549
frequency rank, English
27,828
“T” headwords

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-tates · Tates · English

Tates · rank #96,549 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #96,549
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 27,828
  • PHOTO-FINISH tattooist

Nearest frequency peer: tattooist (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “Tates”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “Tates” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for Tates
PropertyValue
HeadwordTates
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
Letters5
Frequency rank#96,549
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Tates” 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). Tates 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

Tates is uncommon English at frequency #96,549 among 27,828 “T” headwords, classed as aproper noun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A surname.".

Zero misspellings are on record for Tates in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Variant of Tate, with excrescent -s. The correct English form is Tates, spelled T-A-T-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A surname.

Etymology

Variant of Tate, with excrescent -s.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Tates"?
"Tates" is spelled T-A-T-E-S.
What does "Tates" mean?
As a proper noun, "Tates" means: A surname.
What is the origin of the word "Tates"?
Variant of Tate, with excrescent -s. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Tates", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency 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