telltale

/ˈtɛlteɪl/

//ˈtɛlteɪl// noun

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

"telltale" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“telltale” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,047. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,047
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who divulges private information with intent to hurt others.

Corpus desk

Index EN-telltale · telltale · English

telltale · rank #33,047 · 10 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,047
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH taxonomic

Nearest frequency peer: taxonomic (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “telltale”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “telltale” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for telltale
PropertyValue
Headwordtelltale
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɛlteɪl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#33,047
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “telltale”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “taxonomic” (#33,046), “Tamar” (#33,045), “Tennyson” (#33,049). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “telltale” is #33,047. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around telltale (IPA /ˈtɛlteɪl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #33,047 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for telltale, with forms such as "etlltale", "tellatle", and "telltael". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From tell + tale, perhaps dissimilated from earlier taleteller, from Middle English tale tellere (literally “tale teller”). The correct English form is telltale, spelled T-E-L-L-T-A-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who divulges private information with intent to hurt others.
  2. 2
    An indicator, such as a warning light, that serves to warn of a hazard or problem.
  3. 3
    Something that serves to reveal something else.
  4. 4
    A movable piece of ivory, lead, or other material, connected to the bellows of an organ, whose position indicates when the wind is exhausted.
  5. 5
    A length of yarn or ribbon attached to a sail or shroud etc to indicate the direction of the flow of the air relative to the boat.
  6. 6
    A mechanical attachment to the steering wheel, which, in the absence of a tiller, shows the position of the helm.
  7. 7
    A compass in the cabin of a vessel, usually placed where the captain can see it at all hours, and thus inform himself of the vessel's course.
  8. 8
    A machine or contrivance for indicating or recording something, particularly for keeping a check upon employees (factory hands, watchmen, drivers, etc.) by revealing to their employers what they have done or omitted.
  9. 9
    A bird, the tattler.
  10. 10
    A story or fable that has a moral or message.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Your husband is at hand; I heare his Trumpet, / We are not tell-tales, Madam; feare you not.
  2. There were some ill-natured people —tell-tales—it seemed, in Tamai; and hence there was a deal of mystery about getting up the dance.

Etymology

From tell + tale, perhaps dissimilated from earlier taleteller, from Middle English tale tellere (literally “tale teller”).

This word in other languages

correveidile(Español)Petzer(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • etlltale
  • tellatle
  • telltael
  • telltalle
  • telltlae
  • tellttale
  • teltale
  • teltlale
  • tleltale
  • ttelltale

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of telltale - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

etlltale2tellatle2telltael2telltalle1telltlae2tellttale1teltale1teltlale2
Edit distance from "telltale"

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 "telltale"?
"telltale" is spelled T-E-L-L-T-A-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɛlteɪl/.
What does "telltale" mean?
As a noun, "telltale" means: One who divulges private information with intent to hurt others.
What are common misspellings of "telltale"?
Common misspellings include "etlltale", "tellatle", "telltael", "telltalle", "telltlae". The correct spelling is "telltale".
How do you pronounce "telltale"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "telltale" is /ˈtɛlteɪl/. 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 "telltale"?
From tell + tale, perhaps dissimilated from earlier taleteller, from Middle English tale tellere (literally “tale teller”). 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 "telltale", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Tennyson#33,049succinct#33,041Srinagar#33,032trashing#33,064

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

titular10 variantsvillager10 variantsshyness10 variantsshrank10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list