tomato

/təˈmɑː.təʊ/

//təˈmɑː.təʊ// noun

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

"tomato" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tomato” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,997. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,997
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - A widely cultivated plant, Solanum lycopersicum, having edible fruit.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tomato · tomato · English

tomato · rank #8,997 · 8 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,997
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH timely

Nearest frequency peer: timely (-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 “tomato”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “tomato” 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 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

tomato vs tonto
67% similar
tomato vs tomcat
67% similar
tomato vs toma
67% similar

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

Key facts for tomato
PropertyValue
Headwordtomato
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/təˈmɑː.təʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#8,997
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tomato” 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). tomato lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around tomato (IPA /təˈmɑː.təʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,997 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for tomato, with forms such as "otmato", "tmoato", and "toamto". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "tonto", "tomcat", "toma", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Variant of earlier tomate, from Spanish tomate, from Classical Nahuatl tomatl, from Proto-Nahuan *toma-tl. Compare tomatillo. The correct English form is tomato, spelled T-O-M-A-T-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A widely cultivated plant, Solanum lycopersicum, having edible fruit.
  2. 2
    The savory fruit of this plant, most often red when ripe, treated as a vegetable in horticulture and cooking.
  3. 3
    A shade of red, the colour typical of a ripe tomato.
  4. 4
    An attractive woman.
  5. 5
    A stupid act or person.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He was chopping a tomato to put in the salad.
  2. He was eating a tomato when his boss called him.

Etymology

Variant of earlier tomate, from Spanish tomate, from Classical Nahuatl tomatl, from Proto-Nahuan *toma-tl. Compare tomatillo.

This word in other languages

tomate(Español)tomate(Français)Tomate(Deutsch)tomateiro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • otmato
  • tmoato
  • toamto
  • tomaot
  • tomatto
  • tommato
  • tomtao
  • ttomato

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tomato - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

otmato2tmoato2toamto2tomaot2tomatto1tommato1tomtao2ttomato1
Edit distance from "tomato"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tomato"?
"tomato" is spelled T-O-M-A-T-O. The IPA pronunciation is /təˈmɑː.təʊ/.
What does "tomato" mean?
As a noun, "tomato" means: A widely cultivated plant, Solanum lycopersicum, having edible fruit.
What words are commonly confused with "tomato"?
"tomato" is commonly confused with "tonto", "tomcat", "toma". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tomato"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tomato" is /təˈmɑː.təʊ/. 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 "tomato"?
Variant of earlier tomate, from Spanish tomate, from Classical Nahuatl tomatl, from Proto-Nahuan *toma-tl. Compare tomatillo. 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 "tomato", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

timely#8,996splash#8,988spiral#8,986spinal#8,985

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Walsh8 variantsporch8 variantshints8 variantsheroic8 variants

What to do next

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

  • "tomato" maps to 4 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "tonto". View pair
  • 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #8,997 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