# telescope

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈtɛl.ɪ.skəʊp/ · frequency rank #10,458

## Definitions
1. A monocular optical instrument that magnifies distant objects, especially in astronomy.
2. Any instrument used in astronomy for observing distant objects (such as a radio telescope).
3. A retractable tubular support for lights.
4. A kind of goldfish with protruding eyes, first bred in China.

## Etymology
From tele- + -scope.
From Latin tēlescopium, from Ancient Greek τηλεσκόπος (tēleskópos, “far-seeing”), from τῆλε (têle, “afar”) + σκοπέω (skopéō, “I look at”).
Coined in 1611 by the Greek mathematician Giovanni Demisiani for one of Galileo Galilei's instruments presented at a banquet at the Accademia dei Lincei. Doublet of Telescopium.

## Easily confused with
- **telescopic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/telescope-vs-telescopic)

## Common misspellings (13)
`etlescope`, `teelscope`, `telecsope`, `telesccope`, `telescoep`, `telescoppe`, `telescpoe`, `telesocpe`, `telesscope`, `tellescope`, `telsecope`, `tleescope`, `ttelescope`

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