# tile

> English word · Noun · IPA /taɪl/ · frequency rank #10,948

## Definitions
1. A regularly-shaped slab of clay or other material, affixed to cover or decorate a surface, as in a roof-tile, glazed tile, stove tile, carpet tile, etc.
2. A rectangular graphic.
3. Any of various flat cuboid playing pieces used in certain games, such as dominoes, Scrabble, or mahjong.
4. A stiff hat.
5. A Lego piece that is 1/3 the height of a brick, and is smooth without studs on top.

## Etymology
From Middle English tile, tyle, tigel, tiȝel, teȝele, from Old English tieġle, tiġle, tiġele (“tile, brick”), from Proto-West Germanic *tigulā (“tile, brick”), from Proto-Germanic *tigulǭ (“tile, brick”), from Latin tēgula. Doublet of tegula.
Cognates
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Tichel (“tile”), West Frisian teil, tegel, tichel (“tile”), Dutch tichel, tegel (“tile”), German Ziegel (“brick, roof tile”), Danish tegl (“brick”), Faroese tigul, Icelandic tigl (“tile, brick”), Norwegian tegl (“brick, roof tile”), Swedish tegel (“brick, tile”), Asturian and Leonese teya (“roof tile”), Aragonese and Galician tella (“roof tile”), Catalan teula (“roof tile”), French tuile (“roof tile”), Italian tegola (“roof tile”), Mirandese teilha (“roof tile”), Portuguese telha (“roof tile”), Spanish teja (“roof tile”), Czech cihla (“brick”), Polish cegła (“brick”).

## Easily confused with
- **TL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tile-vs-tl)
- **tip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tile-vs-tip)
- **Tim** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tile-vs-tim)
- **toe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tile-vs-toe)
- **tin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tile-vs-tin)
- **tit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tile-vs-tit)
- **TLC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tile-vs-tlc)
- **Tue** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tile-vs-tue)
- **tre** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tile-vs-tre)
- **tse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tile-vs-tse)
- **tye** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tile-vs-tye)
- **tol** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tile-vs-tol)
- **tio** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tile-vs-tio)
- **time** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tile-vs-time)
- **told** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tile-vs-told)
- **true** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tile-vs-true)
- **type** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tile-vs-type)
- **tree** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tile-vs-tree)
- **till** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tile-vs-till)
- **tiny** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tile-vs-tiny)

## Common misspellings (4)
`itle`, `tiel`, `tille`, `tlie`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/tile