tephra

/ˈtɛ.fɹə/

//ˈtɛ.fɹə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“tephra” is uncommon English (frequency #97,621 among 27,828 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#97,621
frequency rank, English
27,828
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The solid material thrown into the air by a volcanic eruption that settles on the surrounding areas.

Key facts for tephra
PropertyValue
Headwordtephra
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɛ.fɹə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#97,621
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tephra” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tephra is uncommon English at frequency #97,621 among 27,828 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtɛ.fɹə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The solid material thrown into the air by a volcanic eruption that settles on the surrounding areas.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for tephra, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From the Ancient Greek τέφρα (téphra, “ash”). The correct English form is tephra, spelled T-E-P-H-R-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    The solid material thrown into the air by a volcanic eruption that settles on the surrounding areas.

Etymology

From the Ancient Greek τέφρα (téphra, “ash”).

This word in other languages

téphra(Français)

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 "tephra"?
"tephra" is spelled T-E-P-H-R-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɛ.fɹə/.
What does "tephra" mean?
As a noun, "tephra" means: The solid material thrown into the air by a volcanic eruption that settles on the surrounding areas.
How do you pronounce "tephra"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tephra" is /ˈtɛ.fɹə/. 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 "tephra"?
From the Ancient Greek τέφρα (téphra, “ash”). 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.

Using “tephra”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is T-E-P-H-R-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈtɛ.fɹə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list