timepiece

/ˈtaɪmpiːs/

//ˈtaɪmpiːs// noun

"timepiece" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“timepiece” is uncommon English (frequency #50,847 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,847
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A chronometer (any device used to tell the time of day), particularly a clock lacking a chime or similar sounding mechanism.

Corpus desk

Index EN-timepiece · timepiece · English

timepiece · rank #50,847 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #50,847
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tiffin

Nearest frequency peer: tiffin (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “timepiece”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “timepiece” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for timepiece
PropertyValue
Headwordtimepiece
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtaɪmpiːs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#50,847
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “timepiece” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “tiffin” (#50,846), “tourmaline” (#50,848), “Thurmond” (#50,845). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “timepiece” is #50,847. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

timepiece is uncommon English at frequency #50,847 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtaɪmpiːs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

timepiece has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From time + piece. The correct English form is timepiece, spelled T-I-M-E-P-I-E-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A chronometer (any device used to tell the time of day), particularly a clock lacking a chime or similar sounding mechanism.
  2. 2
    A chronometer (any device used to tell the time of day), particularly a clock lacking a chime or similar sounding mechanism.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how timepiece appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The only timepiece she allowed in the house was a sundial. She usually kept the curtains pulled.
  2. An interesting feature of the church is the invisible clock, which you can hear thumping away as you enter. Constructed in 1525, it is one of the oldest timepieces in England. It chimes the hours and the quarters, and every three hours it plays a hymn. But it has no faces.

Etymology

From time + piece.

Synonyms

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 "timepiece"?
"timepiece" is spelled T-I-M-E-P-I-E-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtaɪmpiːs/.
What does "timepiece" mean?
As a noun, "timepiece" means: A chronometer (any device used to tell the time of day), particularly a clock lacking a chime or similar sounding mechanism.
How do you pronounce "timepiece"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "timepiece" is /ˈtaɪmpiːs/. 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 "timepiece"?
From time + piece. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "timepiece", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list