tire

/ˈtaɪ̯ə(ɹ)/

//ˈtaɪ̯ə(ɹ)// verb

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

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

The verdict

“tire” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,970 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#6,970
frequency rank, English
4
letters
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To become sleepy or weary.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

tire vs try
50% similar
tire vs toe
50% similar
tire vs tri
50% similar

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

Key facts for tire
PropertyValue
Headwordtire
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈtaɪ̯ə(ɹ)/
Letters4
Frequency rank#6,970
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tire” 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). tire 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 tire is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈtaɪ̯ə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,970 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for tire, with forms such as "itre", "tirre", and "trie". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "try", "toe", "tri", 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 tiren, tirien, teorien, from Old English tȳrian, tēorian (“to fail, cease, become weary, be tired, exhausted; tire, weary, exhaust”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Proto-West Germanic *teuʀōn (“to cease”), which is possibly from Pro… The correct English form is tire, spelled T-I-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To become sleepy or weary.
  2. 2
    To make sleepy or weary.
  3. 3
    To become bored or impatient (with).
  4. 4
    To bore.

Etymology

From Middle English tiren, tirien, teorien, from Old English tȳrian, tēorian (“to fail, cease, become weary, be tired, exhausted; tire, weary, exhaust”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Proto-West Germanic *teuʀōn (“to cease”), which is possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dews- (“to fail, be behind, lag”). Compare Ancient Greek δεύομαι (deúomai, “to lack”), Sanskrit दोष (dóṣa, “crime, fault, vice, deficiency”).

Synonyms

beleaguerexhaustfatiguefordodo forgas outget downjadeknock uppooprun someone raggedtiretire outwearwear downwear outweary

This word in other languages

cansar(Español)se fatiguer(Français)ermüden(Deutsch)cansar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: itre,tirre,trie,ttire

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tire - 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.

itre2tirre1trie2ttire1
Edit distance from "tire"

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 "tire"?
"tire" is spelled T-I-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtaɪ̯ə(ɹ)/.
What does "tire" mean?
As a verb, "tire" means: To become sleepy or weary.
What words are commonly confused with "tire"?
"tire" is commonly confused with "try", "toe", "tri". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tire"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tire" is /ˈtaɪ̯ə(ɹ)/. 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 "tire"?
From Middle English tiren, tirien, teorien, from Old English tȳrian, tēorian (“to fail, cease, become weary, be tired, exhausted; tire, weary, exhaust”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Proto-West Germanic *teuʀōn (“to cease”), which is possibl... 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 “tire”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is T-I-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈtaɪ̯ə(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “try” - see the side-by-side comparison. tire vs try
  • 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