tithing

/ˈtaɪðɪŋ/

//ˈtaɪðɪŋ// noun

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

"tithing" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tithing” is uncommon English (frequency #56,490 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,490
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A tithe or tenth in its various senses, (particularly):

Corpus desk

Index EN-tithing · tithing · English

tithing · rank #56,490 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,490
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH Tilton

Nearest frequency peer: Tilton (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “tithing”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “tithing” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for tithing
PropertyValue
Headwordtithing
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtaɪðɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#56,490
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “tithing” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).tithingfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Tilton” (#56,489), “TMO” (#56,492), “thumper” (#56,487). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tithing” is #56,490. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tithing is uncommon English at frequency #56,490 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtaɪðɪŋ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for tithing, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English tithyng, from Old English tēoþung or tēoðung, from tēoða (“a tithe”) + -ing (suffix forming patronymics and diminutives) and tēoþian (“to tithe”) + -ung (suffix forming verbal nouns). Equivalent to tithe + -ing. The correct English form is tithing, spelled T-I-T-H-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A tithe or tenth in its various senses, (particularly):
  2. 2
    A tithe or tenth in its various senses, (particularly):
  3. 3
    A tithe or tenth in its various senses, (particularly):
  4. 4
    Ten sheaves of wheat (originally set up as such for the tithe proctor).
  5. 5
    A body of households (originally a tenth of a hundred or ten households) bound by frankpledge to collective responsibility and punishment for each other's behavior.
  6. 6
    A part of the hundred as a rural division of territory.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I prayed for the sick and saw some of them healed under my hands. I was given tithings of money and food by people who had not enough to eat themselves.
  2. I see the boys of summer in their ruin / Lay the gold tithings barren, / Setting no store by harvest, freeze the soils

Etymology

From Middle English tithyng, from Old English tēoþung or tēoðung, from tēoða (“a tithe”) + -ing (suffix forming patronymics and diminutives) and tēoþian (“to tithe”) + -ung (suffix forming verbal nouns). Equivalent to tithe + -ing.

Synonyms

tenth and tithedecenarydecimefrankpledgefribourg

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 "tithing"?
"tithing" is spelled T-I-T-H-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtaɪðɪŋ/.
What does "tithing" mean?
As a noun, "tithing" means: A tithe or tenth in its various senses, (particularly):
How do you pronounce "tithing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tithing" is /ˈtaɪðɪŋ/. 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 "tithing"?
From Middle English tithyng, from Old English tēoþung or tēoðung, from tēoða (“a tithe”) + -ing (suffix forming patronymics and diminutives) and tēoþian (“to tithe”) + -ung (suffix forming verbal nouns). Equivalent to tithe + -ing. 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 "tithing", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

thumper#56,487topmost#56,496Switzer#56,476unlearn#56,509

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list