tip

/tɪp/

//tɪp// noun

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

"tip" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tip” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,767 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,767
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The extreme end of something, especially when pointed; e.g. the sharp end of a pencil.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

tip vs to
33% similar
tip vs TV
0% similar
tip vs TL
0% similar

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

Key facts for tip
PropertyValue
Headwordtip
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/tɪp/
Letters3
Frequency rank#2,767
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tip” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for tip is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /tɪp/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,767 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

tip has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "to", "TV", "TL", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English tip, typ, tippe (“tip”), related to Saterland Frisian Tip (“tip”), West Frisian tippe, tip (“tip”), Dutch tip (“tip”), German Low German Tip, Tippel (“tip”), dialectal German Zipf (“tip”) (diminutive Zipfel used in Standard German), Dani… The correct English form is tip, spelled T-I-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    The extreme end of something, especially when pointed; e.g. the sharp end of a pencil.
  2. 2
    A piece of metal, fabric or other material used to cover the top of something for protection, utility or decoration.
  3. 3
    The end of a bow of a stringed instrument that is not held.
  4. 4
    A small piece of meat.
  5. 5
    A piece of stiffened lining pasted on the inside of a hat crown.
  6. 6
    A thin, boarded brush made of camel's hair, used by gilders in lifting gold leaf.
  7. 7
    Synonym of eartip (“part of earbuds”).
  8. 8
    the glans penis

Etymology

From Middle English tip, typ, tippe (“tip”), related to Saterland Frisian Tip (“tip”), West Frisian tippe, tip (“tip”), Dutch tip (“tip”), German Low German Tip, Tippel (“tip”), dialectal German Zipf (“tip”) (diminutive Zipfel used in Standard German), Danish tip (“tip”), Swedish tipp (“tip”), Icelandic typpi (“knob, pin, penis”). Compare also Saterland Frisian Timpe (“tip”), West Frisian timpe (“tip”), Old English tæppa (“tap, spigot”), Albanian thep (“tip, point”), Middle High German züpfel (“pointed end, tip”).

This word in other languages

punta(Español)bout(Français)Spitze(Deutsch)ponta(Português)

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 "tip"?
"tip" is spelled T-I-P. The IPA pronunciation is /tɪp/.
What does "tip" mean?
As a noun, "tip" means: The extreme end of something, especially when pointed; e.g. the sharp end of a pencil.
What words are commonly confused with "tip"?
"tip" is commonly confused with "to", "TV", "TL". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tip"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tip" is /tɪp/. 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 "tip"?
From Middle English tip, typ, tippe (“tip”), related to Saterland Frisian Tip (“tip”), West Frisian tippe, tip (“tip”), Dutch tip (“tip”), German Low German Tip, Tippel (“tip”), dialectal German Zipf (“tip”) (diminutive Zipfel used in Standard Ger... 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.

Using “tip”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is T-I-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /tɪp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “to” - see the side-by-side comparison. tip vs to
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list