tidal wave
/ˈtaɪdəlweɪv/
"tidal-wave" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“tidal wave” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A large and sudden rise and fall in the tide.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | tidal wave |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈtaɪdəlweɪv/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “tidal wave” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for tidal wave is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈtaɪdəlweɪv/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
tidal wave doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
This entry carries no recorded etymology, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct English form is tidal wave, spelled T-I-D-A-L- -W-A-V-E.
Definition
- 1A large and sudden rise and fall in the tide.
- 2A large, sudden, and disastrous wave of water caused by a tremendous disturbance in the ocean; a tsunami. (See Usage notes below.)
- 3A large, sudden inundation of water from the storm surge, or waves of that surge; a sudden surge of river water.
- 4A sudden and powerful surge.
- 5A crest of ocean water; a wave.
- 6A crest of ocean water resulting from tidal forces.
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “tidal wave”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is T-I-D-A-L- -W-A-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈtaɪdəlweɪv/ (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
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.