tenor

/ˈtɛnə(ɹ)/

//ˈtɛnə(ɹ)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“tenor” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,259. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,259
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A musical range or section higher than bass and lower than alto.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tenor · tenor · English

tenor · rank #17,259 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,259
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tattooed

Nearest frequency peer: tattooed (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “tenor”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “tenor” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

tenor vs tor
60% similar
tenor vs ter
60% similar
tenor vs Teo
40% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for tenor
PropertyValue
Headwordtenor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɛnə(ɹ)/
Letters5
Frequency rank#17,259
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tenor” sits in English frequency

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).tenor lands here:

#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. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around tenor (IPA /ˈtɛnə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,259 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for tenor, with forms such as "etnor", "tennor", and "tenorr". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "tor", "ter", "Teo", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English tenour, from Anglo-Norman tenour, from Old French tenor (“substance, contents, meaning, sense; tenor part in music”), from Latin tenor (“course, continuance; holder”), from teneō (“I hold”). In music, from the notion of the one who holds… The correct English form is tenor, spelled T-E-N-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A musical range or section higher than bass and lower than alto.
  2. 2
    A person, instrument, or group that performs in the tenor (higher than bass and lower than alto) range.
  3. 3
    A musical part or section that holds or performs the main melody, as opposed to the contratenor bassus and contratenor altus, who perform countermelodies.
  4. 4
    The lowest tuned in a ring of bells.
  5. 5
    Tone, as of a conversation.
  6. 6
    duration; continuance; a state of holding on in a continuous course; general tendency; career.
  7. 7
    The subject in a metaphor to which attributes are ascribed.
  8. 8
    Time to maturity of a bond.
  9. 9
    Stamp; character; nature.
  10. 10
    An exact copy of a writing, set forth in the words and figures of it. It differs from purport, which is only the substance or general import of the instrument.
  11. 11
    That course of thought which holds on through a discourse; the general drift or course of thought; purport; intent; meaning; understanding.
  12. 12
    A tenor saxophone.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Colonel Walton, who had striven to check the conversation at moments when he became conscious of its tenor, now gladly engaged his guest on other and more legitimate topics.
  2. It is the conſciouſneſs of this merited approbation and eſteem which is alone capable of ſupporting the agent in this tenour of conduct.

Etymology

From Middle English tenour, from Anglo-Norman tenour, from Old French tenor (“substance, contents, meaning, sense; tenor part in music”), from Latin tenor (“course, continuance; holder”), from teneō (“I hold”). In music, from the notion of the one who holds the melody, as opposed to the countertenor.

This word in other languages

ténor(Français)Tenor(Deutsch)tenor(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • etnor
  • tennor
  • tenorr
  • tenro
  • teonr
  • tneor
  • ttenor

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tenor - 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.

etnor2tennor1tenorr1tenro2teonr2tneor2ttenor1
Edit distance from "tenor"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tenor"?
"tenor" is spelled T-E-N-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɛnə(ɹ)/.
What does "tenor" mean?
As a noun, "tenor" means: A musical range or section higher than bass and lower than alto.
What words are commonly confused with "tenor"?
"tenor" is commonly confused with "tor", "ter", "Teo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tenor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tenor" is /ˈtɛnə(ɹ)/. 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 "tenor"?
From Middle English tenour, from Anglo-Norman tenour, from Old French tenor (“substance, contents, meaning, sense; tenor part in music”), from Latin tenor (“course, continuance; holder”), from teneō (“I hold”). In music, from the notion of the one... 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 "tenor", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

snoop#17,249wipes#17,274shear#17,239zebra#17,279

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Albion7 variantsrosen7 variantsretina7 variantsbabes7 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "tenor". Here's where to go from here.

  • "tenor" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "tor". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #17,259 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "T" letter cohort. T–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list