tatter
/ˈtætə(ɹ)/noun, verb
tatter is spelled T-A-T-T-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 52 million words in written English, the 225,584th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, tatter means “A shred of torn cloth; an individual item of torn and ragged clothing” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tatter is tatters.
How many letters and syllables are in tatter?
| Letters | 6: T-A-T-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 52 million words; the 225,584th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is tatter?
Tatter appears about once in every 52 million words in written English, the 225,584th 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 tatter?
- /ˈtætə(ɹ)/
Tatter has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-tatter.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of tatter
- tatters plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- tattering participle, present
- tattered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tatter mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A shred of torn cloth; an individual item of torn and ragged clothing.
- 2
A person engaged in tatting.
verb
- 1
To destroy an article of clothing etc. by shredding.
- 2
To fall into tatters.
- 3
IrelandTo go at great speed.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tatter in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense A shred of torn cloth:
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 tatter come from?
From Middle English tater, from Old Norse tǫturr, from Proto-Germanic *tat(t)uraz (“tuft, patch”). Cognate with Icelandic tötur (“rag, tatter”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).