tom

/tɒm/

//tɒm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“tom” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #1,582) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#1,582
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The male of the domesticated cat, especially if not neutered.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tom · tom · English

tom · rank #1,582 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,582
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH throw

Nearest frequency peer: throw (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “tom”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “tom” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

tom vs TV
0% similar
tom vs TX
0% similar
tom vs Tu
0% similar

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

Key facts for tom
PropertyValue
Headwordtom
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/tɒm/
Letters3
Frequency rank#1,582
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tom” 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).tomlands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “throw” (#1,581), “totally” (#1,583), “surface” (#1,580). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for tom is neighbouring look-alikes ("TV", "TX", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /tɒm/. Frequency #1,582 among 3,151 “T” headwords. 9 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for tom, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "TV", "TX", "Tu", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From generic use of the proper name Tom. The correct English form is tom, spelled T-O-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The male of the domesticated cat, especially if not neutered.
  2. 2
    The male of the turkey.
  3. 3
    The male of the orangutan.
  4. 4
    The male of certain other animals.
  5. 5
    A female prostitute.
  6. 6
    A lesbian.
  7. 7
    Clipping of tom-tom.
  8. 8
    The jack of trumps in the card game gleek.
  9. 9
    A close-stool.

Etymology

From generic use of the proper name Tom.

Synonyms

tomcathe-catturkeycockmalebuckstag

This word in other languages

gato(Español)matou(Français)Kater(Deutsch)gato(Português)

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 "tom"?
"tom" is spelled T-O-M. The IPA pronunciation is /tɒm/.
What does "tom" mean?
As a noun, "tom" means: The male of the domesticated cat, especially if not neutered.
What words are commonly confused with "tom"?
"tom" is commonly confused with "TV", "TX", "Tu". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tom"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tom" is /tɒm/. 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 "tom"?
From generic use of the proper name Tom. 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 "tom", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

bus#1,5541st#1,549sad#1,536lie#1,530

What to do next

You've looked up "tom". Here's where to go from here.

  • "tom" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "TV". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #1,582 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "T" letter cohort. T–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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