TMJ

noun

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

The verdict

“TMJ” is uncommon English (frequency #71,169 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,169
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Abbreviation of temporomandibular joint.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tmj · TMJ · English

TMJ · rank #71,169 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #71,169
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-0 0 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tipu

Nearest frequency peer: tipu (-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 “TMJ”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for TMJ
PropertyValue
HeadwordTMJ
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters3
Frequency rank#71,169
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “TMJ” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “tipu” (#71,168), “tokamak” (#71,171), “thur” (#71,165). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “TMJ” is #71,169. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

TMJ is uncommon English at frequency #71,169 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for TMJ, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct English form is TMJ, spelled T-M-J.

Definition

  1. 1
    Abbreviation of temporomandibular joint.
  2. 2
    Temporomandibular pain, temporomandibular joint disorder.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. She was an only child, a gym rat, had a blotchy red birthmark on her neck in the shape of Florida, a gum-chewing habit that gave her TMJ and breath that reeked of cinnamon and green apple candy.

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 "TMJ"?
"TMJ" is spelled T-M-J.
What does "TMJ" mean?
As a noun, "TMJ" means: Abbreviation of temporomandibular joint.
What language does "TMJ" come from?
"TMJ" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 "TMJ", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list