tide

/taɪd/

//taɪd// noun

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

"tide" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tide” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,637 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#6,637
frequency rank, English
4
letters
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The daily fluctuation in the level of the sea caused by the gravitational influence of the moon and the sun.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

tide vs tip
50% similar
tide vs tie
75% similar
tide vs Tim
25% similar

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

Key facts for tide
PropertyValue
Headwordtide
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/taɪd/
Letters4
Frequency rank#6,637
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tide” 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). tide lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for tide is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /taɪd/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,637 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for tide, with forms such as "itde", "tdie", and "tidde". 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, "tip", "tie", "Tim", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *deh₂y- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *déh₂itis Proto-Germanic *tīdiz Proto-West Germanic *tīdi Old English tīd Middle English tyde English tide Inherited from Middle English tyde, from Old English tīd, fro… The correct English form is tide, spelled T-I-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The daily fluctuation in the level of the sea caused by the gravitational influence of the moon and the sun.
  2. 2
    The associated flow of water.
  3. 3
    Any similar gravitational effect on Earth or other body.
  4. 4
    A high-volume flow, literal or figurative; a current or flood.
  5. 5
    The tendency or direction of causes, influences, or events; course; current.
  6. 6
    Time, notably anniversary, period or season linked to an ecclesiastical feast.
  7. 7
    A time.
  8. 8
    A point or period of time identified or described by a qualifier.
  9. 9
    The period of twelve hours.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *deh₂y- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *déh₂itis Proto-Germanic *tīdiz Proto-West Germanic *tīdi Old English tīd Middle English tyde English tide Inherited from Middle English tyde, from Old English tīd, from Proto-West Germanic *tīdi, from Proto-Germanic *tīdiz, from Proto-Indo-European *déh₂itis, from *deh₂y- + *-tis. Related to time.

This word in other languages

marea(Español)marée(Français)Gezeiten(Deutsch)maré(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: itde,tdie,tidde,ttide

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tide - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

itde2tdie2tidde1ttide1
Edit distance from "tide"

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 "tide"?
"tide" is spelled T-I-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /taɪd/.
What does "tide" mean?
As a noun, "tide" means: The daily fluctuation in the level of the sea caused by the gravitational influence of the moon and the sun.
What words are commonly confused with "tide"?
"tide" is commonly confused with "tip", "tie", "Tim". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tide"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tide" is /taɪd/. 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 "tide"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *deh₂y- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *déh₂itis Proto-Germanic *tīdiz Proto-West Germanic *tīdi Old English tīd Middle English tyde English tide Inherited from Middle English tyde, from Old Englis... 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 “tide”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is T-I-D-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /taɪd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “tip” - see the side-by-side comparison. tide vs tip
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list