tinderbox

noun

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

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

The verdict

“tinderbox” is uncommon English (frequency #92,158 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#92,158
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small container containing flint, steel, and tinder (dry, finely-divided fibrous matter), once used to help kindle a fire.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tinderbox · tinderbox · English

tinderbox · rank #92,158 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #92,158
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tobacconist

Nearest frequency peer: tobacconist (+4 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 “tinderbox”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for tinderbox
PropertyValue
Headwordtinderbox
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters9
Frequency rank#92,158
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “tinderbox” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).tinderboxfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “tobacconist” (#92,162), “threepenny” (#92,153), “Toblerone” (#92,163). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tinderbox” is #92,158. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tinderbox is uncommon English at frequency #92,158 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for tinderbox in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From tinder + box, first use appears c. 1530, in the writings of John Palsgrave. The correct English form is tinderbox, spelled T-I-N-D-E-R-B-O-X.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small container containing flint, steel, and tinder (dry, finely-divided fibrous matter), once used to help kindle a fire.
  2. 2
    A place that is so dry and hot that there is danger of fire.
  3. 3
    A potentially dangerous situation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Haines helped himself and snapped the case to. He put it back in his sidepocket and took from his waistcoatpocket a nickel tinderbox, sprang it open too, and, having lit his cigarette, held the flaming spunk towards Stephen in the shell of his hands.
  2. Just bring me the old tinderbox that my grandmother forgot the last time she went down there.

Etymology

From tinder + box, first use appears c. 1530, in the writings of John Palsgrave.

Synonyms

powder kegpowderkegpowder magazine

This word in other languages

yesquero(Español)briquet(Français)Feuerzeug(Deutsch)

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 "tinderbox"?
"tinderbox" is spelled T-I-N-D-E-R-B-O-X.
What does "tinderbox" mean?
As a noun, "tinderbox" means: A small container containing flint, steel, and tinder (dry, finely-divided fibrous matter), once used to help kindle a fire.
What is the origin of the word "tinderbox"?
From tinder + box, first use appears c. 1530, in the writings of John Palsgrave. 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 "tinderbox", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Toblerone#92,163trainable#92,173unalloyed#92,189stovepipe#92,111

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list