tomfoolery

/ˌtɒmˈfuːlə.ɹi/

//ˌtɒmˈfuːlə.ɹi// noun

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

"tomfoolery" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tomfoolery” is an uncommon English word, ranked #72,836 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#72,836
frequency rank, English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Foolish behaviour or speech.

Key facts for tomfoolery
PropertyValue
Headwordtomfoolery
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌtɒmˈfuːlə.ɹi/
Letters10
Frequency rank#72,836
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tomfoolery” 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). tomfoolery lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for tomfoolery is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌtɒmˈfuːlə.ɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #72,836 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

tomfoolery doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Tom (a common man) + foolery. The correct English form is tomfoolery, spelled T-O-M-F-O-O-L-E-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Foolish behaviour or speech.
  2. 2
    Jewellery.

Etymology

From Tom (a common man) + foolery.

This word in other languages

payasada(Español)pitrerie(Français)Unsinn(Deutsch)

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 "tomfoolery"?
"tomfoolery" is spelled T-O-M-F-O-O-L-E-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌtɒmˈfuːlə.ɹi/.
What does "tomfoolery" mean?
As a noun, "tomfoolery" means: Foolish behaviour or speech.
How do you pronounce "tomfoolery"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tomfoolery" is /ˌtɒmˈfuːlə.ɹi/. 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 "tomfoolery"?
From Tom (a common man) + foolery. 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.

Using “tomfoolery”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is T-O-M-F-O-O-L-E-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌtɒmˈfuːlə.ɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list