# time

> English word · Noun · IPA /taɪm/ · frequency rank #60

## Definitions
1. The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events.
2. The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events.
3. The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events.
4. The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events.
5. The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events.
6. A duration of time.
7. A duration of time.
8. A duration of time.
9. A duration of time.
10. A duration of time.
11. A duration of time.
12. A duration of time.
13. An instant of time.
14. An instant of time.
15. An instant of time.
16. An instant of time.
17. An instant of time.
18. An instant of time.
19. An instant of time.
20. The measurement under some system of region of day or moment.
21. A ratio of comparison (see also usage notes and prepositional sense at 'times').
22. The measured duration of sounds.
23. The measured duration of sounds.
24. The measured duration of sounds.
25. The measured duration of sounds.
26. Synonym of tense
27. Clipping of a long time.

## Etymology
From Middle English tyme, time, from Old English tīma (“time, period, space of time, season, lifetime, fixed time, favorable time, opportunity”), from Proto-West Germanic *tīmō, from Proto-Germanic *tīmô (“time”), from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂imō, from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂y- (“to divide”). Related to tide. Not related to Latin tempus.
Cognates
* Scots tym, tyme (“time”)
* Alemannic German Zimen, Zīmmän (“time, time of the year, opportune time, opportunity”)
* Danish time (“hour, lesson”)
* Elfdalian taime (“hour”)
* Faroese tími (“hour, lesson, time”)
* Icelandic tími (“time, season”)
* Norwegian time (“lesson, hour”)
* Swedish timma, timme (“hour”).

## Easily confused with
- **TM** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/time-vs-tm)
- **tom** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/time-vs-tom)
- **tip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/time-vs-tip)
- **toe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/time-vs-toe)
- **tin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/time-vs-tin)
- **tit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/time-vs-tit)
- **Tue** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/time-vs-tue)
- **TMZ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/time-vs-tmz)
- **tre** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/time-vs-tre)
- **tum** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/time-vs-tum)
- **tse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/time-vs-tse)
- **TMS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/time-vs-tms)
- **tye** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/time-vs-tye)
- **TMI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/time-vs-tmi)
- **TSM** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/time-vs-tsm)
- **tio** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/time-vs-tio)
- **true** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/time-vs-true)
- **type** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/time-vs-type)
- **tree** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/time-vs-tree)
- **tiny** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/time-vs-tiny)

## Common misspellings (5)
`itme`, `tiem`, `timme`, `tmie`, `ttime`

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