telex

/tɛl.ɛks/

//tɛl.ɛks// noun

"telex" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“telex” is uncommon English (frequency #64,057 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,057
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A network of teletypes.

Corpus desk

Index EN-telex · telex · English

telex · rank #64,057 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #64,057
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH teleconference

Nearest frequency peer: teleconference (-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 “telex”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for telex
PropertyValue
Headwordtelex
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/tɛl.ɛks/
Letters5
Frequency rank#64,057
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “telex” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).telexfalls 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: “teleconference” (#64,056), “Tham” (#64,059), “theosophical” (#64,060). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “telex” is #64,057. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

telex is uncommon English at frequency #64,057 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /tɛl.ɛks/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for telex in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From genericization of Telex Printergram and Telex, derived as a blend of tele- (“telegraph, teletype, teleprinter, etc.”) + exchange. The correct English form is telex, spelled T-E-L-E-X.

Definition

  1. 1
    A network of teletypes.
  2. 2
    A teletype message sent through such a network.
  3. 3
    A teletype device connected to such a network.

Etymology

From genericization of Telex Printergram and Telex, derived as a blend of tele- (“telegraph, teletype, teleprinter, etc.”) + exchange.

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 "telex"?
"telex" is spelled T-E-L-E-X. The IPA pronunciation is /tɛl.ɛks/.
What does "telex" mean?
As a noun, "telex" means: A network of teletypes.
How do you pronounce "telex"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "telex" is /tɛl.ɛks/. 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 "telex"?
From genericization of Telex Printergram and Telex, derived as a blend of tele- (“telegraph, teletype, teleprinter, etc.”) + exchange. 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 "telex", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list