tomahawk

/ˈtɑ.mə.hɔk/

//ˈtɑ.mə.hɔk// noun

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

"tomahawk" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tomahawk” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,457. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,457
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An axe used by Native American warriors, originally made of stone, bone, or antler.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tomahawk · tomahawk · English

tomahawk · rank #33,457 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,457
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH toffee

Nearest frequency peer: toffee (-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 “tomahawk”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tomahawk” 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
Key facts for tomahawk
PropertyValue
Headwordtomahawk
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɑ.mə.hɔk/
Letters8
Frequency rank#33,457
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tomahawk”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).tomahawklands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “toffee” (#33,456), “Tomlin” (#33,458), “TMS” (#33,455). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tomahawk” is #33,457. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around tomahawk (IPA /ˈtɑ.mə.hɔk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #33,457 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for tomahawk, with forms such as "otmahawk", "tmoahawk", and "toamhawk". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From an Eastern Algonquian word, most likely Powhatan tumahák; compare also Malecite-Passamaquoddy tomhikon (“axe”), Abenaki temahigan, demahigan (“axe”). The correct English form is tomahawk, spelled T-O-M-A-H-A-W-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    An axe used by Native American warriors, originally made of stone, bone, or antler.
  2. 2
    A dunk performed with one's arm behind one's head.
  3. 3
    A geometric construction consisting of a semicircle and two line segments that serves as a tool for trisecting an angle; so called from its resemblance to the American Indian axe.
  4. 4
    A field hockey shot style that involves a player turning their hockey stick upside-down and swinging it so that its inside edge will come into contact with the ball.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. yeerely bring into our store house, at the beginning of their haruest two bushels of corne a man […] for which they should receiue so many Iron Tomahawkes or small hatchets.
  2. At first, her presence was not observed; but, no sooner did the stranger catch a glimpse of her person, than he stopped, raised his hands in surprise, laid his rifle against a tree, and sprang forward; the girl closing her eyes, and sinking on the seat, with bowed head, expecting the blow of the deadly tomahawk.

Etymology

From an Eastern Algonquian word, most likely Powhatan tumahák; compare also Malecite-Passamaquoddy tomhikon (“axe”), Abenaki temahigan, demahigan (“axe”).

This word in other languages

tomahawk(Français)Tomahawk(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • otmahawk
  • tmoahawk
  • toamhawk
  • tomaahwk
  • tomahakw
  • tomahawkk
  • tomahawwk
  • tomahhawk
  • tomahwak
  • tomhaawk
  • tommahawk
  • ttomahawk

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

otmahawk2tmoahawk2toamhawk2tomaahwk2tomahakw2tomahawkk1tomahawwk1tomahhawk1
Edit distance from "tomahawk"

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 "tomahawk"?
"tomahawk" is spelled T-O-M-A-H-A-W-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɑ.mə.hɔk/.
What does "tomahawk" mean?
As a noun, "tomahawk" means: An axe used by Native American warriors, originally made of stone, bone, or antler.
What are common misspellings of "tomahawk"?
Common misspellings include "otmahawk", "tmoahawk", "toamhawk", "tomaahwk", "tomahakw". The correct spelling is "tomahawk".
How do you pronounce "tomahawk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tomahawk" is /ˈtɑ.mə.hɔk/. 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 "tomahawk"?
From an Eastern Algonquian word, most likely Powhatan tumahák; compare also Malecite-Passamaquoddy tomhikon (“axe”), Abenaki temahigan, demahigan (“axe”). 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 "tomahawk", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Tenerife#33,451ulterior#33,467subspace#33,436spouting#33,430

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Wasserman12 variantssocialite12 variantsannihilate12 variantsbefitting12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list