Tokyo

/ˈtoʊ.ki.oʊ/

//ˈtoʊ.ki.oʊ// name

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

"tokyo" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Tokyo” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,558. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,558
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A prefecture and capital city of Japan.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tokyo · Tokyo · English

Tokyo · rank #4,558 · 7 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,558
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tanks

Nearest frequency peer: tanks (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “Tokyo”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “Tokyo” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Tokyo vs too
40% similar
Tokyo vs toy
40% similar
Tokyo vs Tony
60% similar

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

Key facts for Tokyo
PropertyValue
HeadwordTokyo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈtoʊ.ki.oʊ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#4,558
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Tokyo”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “tanks” (#4,557), “topics” (#4,559), “stunning” (#4,556). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “Tokyo” is #4,558. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around Tokyo (IPA /ˈtoʊ.ki.oʊ/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #4,558 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for Tokyo, with forms such as "otkyo", "tkoyo", and "tokkyo". 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 15 confusable-pair relationships, "too", "toy", "Tony", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Japanese 東(とう)京(きょう) (Tōkyō, literally “eastern capital”), as opposed to Kyoto in the west, from Middle Chinese 東 (tuwng, “east”) + 京 (kjaeng, “capital”). The correct English form is Tokyo, spelled T-O-K-Y-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A prefecture and capital city of Japan.
  2. 2
    The Japanese government.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The first phase of the project, connecting Tokyo and Nagoya, is scheduled to be completed in 2027 and is expected to cut traveling time between those cities by half.
  2. Tokyo required certain military technologies and some raw materials that its main European ally already possessed, and also needed new markets for its Southeast Asian products in order to keep the local economies alive.

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 東(とう)京(きょう) (Tōkyō, literally “eastern capital”), as opposed to Kyoto in the west, from Middle Chinese 東 (tuwng, “east”) + 京 (kjaeng, “capital”).

Synonyms

EdoYedo

This word in other languages

Tokio(Español)Tokyo(Français)Tokio(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • otkyo
  • tkoyo
  • tokkyo
  • tokoy
  • tokyyo
  • toyko
  • ttokyo

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Tokyo - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

otkyo2tkoyo2tokkyo1tokoy2tokyyo1toyko2ttokyo1
Edit distance from "Tokyo"

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 "Tokyo"?
"Tokyo" is spelled T-O-K-Y-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtoʊ.ki.oʊ/.
What does "Tokyo" mean?
As a proper noun, "Tokyo" means: A prefecture and capital city of Japan.
What words are commonly confused with "Tokyo"?
"Tokyo" is commonly confused with "too", "toy", "Tony". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Tokyo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Tokyo" is /ˈtoʊ.ki.oʊ/. 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 "Tokyo"?
Borrowed from Japanese 東(とう)京(きょう) (Tōkyō, literally “eastern capital”), as opposed to Kyoto in the west, from Middle Chinese 東 (tuwng, “east”) + 京 (kjaeng, “capital”). 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 "Tokyo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tanks#4,557sized#4,554quest#4,551Alice#4,572

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

vessel7 variantsMurray7 variantscoins7 variantsCooper7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list