# tattered

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈtætəd/ · frequency rank #35,978

## Definitions
1. Rent in tatters, torn, hanging in rags; ragged.
2. Dressed in tatters or rags; ragged.
3. Dilapidated; showing gaps or breaks; jagged; broken.

## Etymology
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.

## Easily confused with
- **tatters** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tattered-vs-tatters)
- **tattooed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tattered-vs-tattooed)
- **tethered** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tattered-vs-tethered)
- **tapered** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tapered-vs-tattered)

## Common misspellings (10)
`atttered`, `tatered`, `tatetred`, `tatteerd`, `tatterde`, `tatteredd`, `tatterred`, `tattreed`, `ttatered`, `ttattered`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/tattered