tine
/taɪn/noun, adjective
tine is spelled T-I-N-E: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). 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” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tine is tines.
How many letters and syllables are in tine?
| Letters | 4: T-I-N-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 44,209th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is tine?
Tine appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,209th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce tine?
- /taɪn/
Tine has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-tine.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with tine
Also written: tyne.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with tine?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as tine.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: nite, tein.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of tine
- tines plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- tiner comparative
- tinest superlative
- tyne
- tining participle, present
- tined participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tine mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A spike or point on an implement or tool, especially a prong of a fork or a tooth of a comb.
- 2
A small branch, especially on an antler or horn.
- 3
A wild vetch or tare.
- 4
obsoleteTrouble; distress; teen.
adjective
- 1
small, diminutive
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo kindle; to set on fire.
- 2
obsoleteTo rage; to smart.
- 3
archaicTo shut in, or enclose.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tine in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dent, fourchon , andouiller |
| German | Zinke, Pickel, Dorn, Zacke, Zahn, Zinken |
| Portuguese | dente |
| Spanish | candil |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does tine come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).