tine

/taɪn/

//taɪn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“tine” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #44,530) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#44,530
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A spike or point on an implement or tool, especially a prong of a fork or a tooth of a comb.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tine · tine · English

tine · rank #44,530 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #44,530
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tinsel

Nearest frequency peer: tinsel (+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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “tine”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “tine” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

tine vs TN
0% similar
tine vs tip
50% similar
tine vs ton
50% similar

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

Key facts for tine
PropertyValue
Headwordtine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/taɪn/
Letters4
Frequency rank#44,530
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “tine”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “tinsel” (#44,531), “thrasher” (#44,528), “toppling” (#44,532). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tine” is #44,530. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for tine is neighbouring look-alikes ("TN", "tip", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /taɪn/. Frequency #44,530 among 3,151 “T” headwords. 3 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for tine, with forms such as "itne", "tinne", and "tnie". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "TN", "tip", "ton", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English tine, alteration of Middle English tinde, tind, from Old English tind, from Proto-West Germanic *tind, Proto-Germanic *tindaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dénts (“tooth, peg”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Tiende, Tiene (“prong, tine”)… The correct English form is tine, spelled T-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A spike or point on an implement or tool, especially a prong of a fork or a tooth of a comb.
  2. 2
    A small branch, especially on an antler or horn.
  3. 3
    A wild vetch or tare.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The tines of the fork were quite evidently of iron or steel, the girl did not know which, while the handle and the spoon were of the same material as the smaller vessels.
  2. Sitting at the table one day, I held the fork in my left hand and pierced a piece of fried chicken. I put the knife through the second tine, as we had been strictly taught, and began to saw against the bone.

Etymology

From Middle English tine, alteration of Middle English tinde, tind, from Old English tind, from Proto-West Germanic *tind, Proto-Germanic *tindaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dénts (“tooth, peg”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Tiende, Tiene (“prong, tine”), German Zind, Zint (“prong”). Compare also the related English tind and German Zinne.

This word in other languages

diente(Español)dent(Français)Zinke(Deutsch)dente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • itne
  • tinne
  • tnie
  • ttine

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tine - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

itne2tinne1tnie2ttine1
Edit distance from "tine"

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 "tine"?
"tine" is spelled T-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /taɪn/.
What does "tine" mean?
As a noun, "tine" means: A spike or point on an implement or tool, especially a prong of a fork or a tooth of a comb.
What words are commonly confused with "tine"?
"tine" is commonly confused with "TN", "tip", "ton". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tine" is /taɪn/. 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 "tine"?
From Middle English tine, alteration of Middle English tinde, tind, from Old English tind, from Proto-West Germanic *tind, Proto-Germanic *tindaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dénts (“tooth, peg”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Tiende, Tiene (“pro... 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 "tine", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

UNLV#44,548vela#44,559sais#44,467aeon#44,598

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list