tattered
/ˈtætɚd/adjective, verb
tattered is spelled T-A-T-T-E-R-E-D: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,748th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, tattered means “Rent in tatters, torn, hanging in rags; ragged” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in tattered?
| Letters | 8: T-A-T-T-E-R-E-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 35,748th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is tattered?
Tattered appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,748th 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 tattered?
- UK /ˈtætəd/
- US /ˈtætɚd/
Tattered 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)-Persent101-tattered.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with tattered?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as tattered from its last stressed vowel (/ætəɹd/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of tattered
- tottered
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tattered mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Rent in tatters, torn, hanging in rags; ragged.
- 2
Dressed in tatters or rags; ragged.
- 3
obsoleteDilapidated; showing gaps or breaks; jagged; broken.
verb
- 1
simple past and past participle of tatter
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tattered in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | abîmé, en loques, en haillons, loqueteux |
| Spanish | andrajoso , harapiento |
| Portuguese | esfarrapado |
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 tattered come from?
From Middle English tatered, tatird, from Old Norse tǫturr. Originally, it was derived from the noun, but it was later reanalysed as a past participle (tatter + -ed), whereafter the verb came into being. Compare tatter.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).