tearful

/ˈtɪə(ɹ)fʊl/

//ˈtɪə(ɹ)fʊl// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"tearful" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tearful” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,491. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,491
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Accompanied by tears; crying, or about to cry.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tearful · tearful · English

tearful · rank #29,491 · 10 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #29,491
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tait

Nearest frequency peer: tait (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “tearful”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “tearful” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for tearful
PropertyValue
Headwordtearful
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈtɪə(ɹ)fʊl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#29,491
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tearful”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).tearfullands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “tait” (#29,490), “Teri” (#29,492), “swivel” (#29,489). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tearful” is #29,491. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around tearful (IPA /ˈtɪə(ɹ)fʊl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #29,491 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for tearful, with forms such as "etarful", "taerful", and "teafrul". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From tear + -ful. The correct English form is tearful, spelled T-E-A-R-F-U-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Accompanied by tears; crying, or about to cry.
  2. 2
    Sorrowful.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how tearful appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Aaron got a little tearful until Laura came to reassure him.
  2. The week that was yet to elapse, she spent in wandering through her uncle's favourite walks in hours of tearful vigil, beside his tomb, and in collecting together every trifle on which he had set a value.

Etymology

From tear + -ful.

This word in other languages

lloroso(Español)au bord des larmes(Français)tränenreich(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • etarful
  • taerful
  • teafrul
  • tearfful
  • tearflu
  • tearfull
  • tearrful
  • tearufl
  • teraful
  • ttearful

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tearful - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

etarful2taerful2teafrul2tearfful1tearflu2tearfull1tearrful1tearufl2
Edit distance from "tearful"

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tearful"?
"tearful" is spelled T-E-A-R-F-U-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɪə(ɹ)fʊl/.
What does "tearful" mean?
As an adjective, "tearful" means: Accompanied by tears; crying, or about to cry.
What are common misspellings of "tearful"?
Common misspellings include "etarful", "taerful", "teafrul", "tearfful", "tearflu". The correct spelling is "tearful".
How do you pronounce "tearful"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tearful" is /ˈtɪə(ɹ)fʊl/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "tearful"?
From tear + -ful. 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 "tearful", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

swamped#29,488toolbox#29,496storied#29,483Utrecht#29,511

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

sultry10 variantssprawl10 variantswayside10 variantsailment10 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list