teeter

/ˈtiːtə/

//ˈtiːtə// verb

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

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

The verdict

“teeter” is uncommon English (frequency #57,761 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,761
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To tilt back and forth on an edge.

Corpus desk

Index EN-teeter · teeter · English

teeter · rank #57,761 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,761
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH Tartarus

Nearest frequency peer: Tartarus (-2 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 “teeter”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for teeter
PropertyValue
Headwordteeter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈtiːtə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#57,761
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “teeter” 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).teeterfalls 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: “Tartarus” (#57,759), “tarry” (#57,758), “temporally” (#57,764). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “teeter” is #57,761. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

teeter is uncommon English at frequency #57,761 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈtiːtə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

teeter doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Alteration of titter. The correct English form is teeter, spelled T-E-E-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To tilt back and forth on an edge.
  2. 2
    To totter (move unsteadily).
  3. 3
    To be indecisive; to hesitate.
  4. 4
    To be close to becoming a typically negative situation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He teetered on the brink of the precipice.
  2. The concrete floors of B2B sheds were already being built to an exacting degree of flatness, calibrated using lasers, so that forklifts would not teeter while lifting pallets to the highest shelves.

Etymology

Alteration of titter.

This word in other languages

tambalearse(Español)basculer(Français)schwanken(Deutsch)cambalear(Português)

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 "teeter"?
"teeter" is spelled T-E-E-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtiːtə/.
What does "teeter" mean?
As a verb, "teeter" means: To tilt back and forth on an edge.
How do you pronounce "teeter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "teeter" is /ˈtiːtə/. 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 "teeter"?
Alteration of titter. 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 "teeter", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

testis#57,765tallow#57,754truant#57,785wacker#57,810

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list