tipping point
"tipping-point" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“tipping point” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 13
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The point at which a slow, reversible change becomes irreversible, often with dramatic consequences.
Corpus desk
Index EN-tipping-point · tipping point · English
tipping point · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 13 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "T" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | tipping point |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 13 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “tipping point” in English
Rare enough to double-check
tipping point is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for tipping point in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: First use of the term appears c. 1959 in the New York Times. The correct English form is tipping point, spelled T-I-P-P-I-N-G- -P-O-I-N-T.
Definition
- 1The point at which a slow, reversible change becomes irreversible, often with dramatic consequences.
- 2A point in time when a group rapidly and dramatically changes its behavior by widely adopting a previously rare practice.
- 3A point in time when a group rapidly and dramatically changes its behavior by widely adopting a previously rare practice.
- 4An irreversible change in the climate system.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how tipping point appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
It is a scenario climate scientists have feared since first identifying "tipping points" - delicate thresholds where a slight rise in the Earth's temperature can cause a dramatic change in the environment that itself triggers a far greater increase in global temperatures.
Some researchers worry that rainforests will soon reach a tipping point — a point of no return in which the once-lush forests transition to arid regions.
Etymology
First use of the term appears c. 1959 in the New York Times.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.