teepee

/ˈtiːpi/

//ˈtiːpi// noun

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

"teepee" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“teepee” is uncommon English (frequency #71,153 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,153
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A cone-shaped tent traditionally used by many native peoples of the Great Plains of North America.

Corpus desk

Index EN-teepee · teepee · English

teepee · rank #71,153 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #71,153
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tedder

Nearest frequency peer: tedder (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “teepee”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “teepee” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for teepee
PropertyValue
Headwordteepee
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtiːpi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#71,153
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “teepee” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).teepeefalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “tedder” (#71,152), “taxiway” (#71,151), “Tatler” (#71,150). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “teepee” is #71,153. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

teepee is uncommon English at frequency #71,153 among 3,151 “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

  1. 1
    A cone-shaped tent traditionally used by many native peoples of the Great Plains of North America.
  2. 2
    A 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

tipi(Español)tipi(Français)Tipi(Deutsch)

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"?
"teepee" is spelled T-E-E-P-E-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtiːpi/.
What does "teepee" mean?
As a noun, "teepee" means: A cone-shaped tent traditionally used by many native peoples of the Great Plains of North America.
How do you pronounce "teepee"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "teepee" is /ˈtiːpi/. 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 "teepee"?
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 ... 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 "teepee", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tedder#71,152Tatler#71,150Tetsuo#71,156thrips#71,164

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list