teepee
/ˈtiːpi/
"teepee" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“teepee” is uncommon English (frequency #71,153 among 27,828 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #71,153
- frequency rank, English
- 27,828
- “T” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A cone-shaped tent traditionally used by many native peoples of the Great Plains of North America.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | teepee |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈtiːpi/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #71,153 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “teepee” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
teepee is uncommon English at frequency #71,153 among 27,828 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtiːpi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for teepee, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From the Lakota word thípi (/ˈtʰipi/), which consists of two elements: the verb thí (“to dwell”), and pi, a pluralising enclitic (a suffix-like ending that marks the subject of the verb as plural), which means they dwell. Lakota verbs can be used as nouns a… The correct English form is teepee, spelled T-E-E-P-E-E.
Definition
- 1A cone-shaped tent traditionally used by many native peoples of the Great Plains of North America.
- 2A conical formation of small flammable sticks leaning on each other, in roughly the shape of an Indian teepee, built over smaller tinder such as cotton or leaves.
Etymology
From the Lakota word thípi (/ˈtʰipi/), which consists of two elements: the verb thí (“to dwell”), and pi, a pluralising enclitic (a suffix-like ending that marks the subject of the verb as plural), which means they dwell. Lakota verbs can be used as nouns and this is the case with thípi, which in practice simply means house.
This word in other languages
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 "teepee"?
What does "teepee" mean?
How do you pronounce "teepee"?
What is the origin of the word "teepee"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “teepee”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is T-E-E-P-E-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈtiːpi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this 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.