ton

/tʌn/

//tʌn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“ton” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,419 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,419
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of various units of mass, originally notionally equal to the contents of a tun

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ton vs TV
0% similar
ton vs TX
0% similar
ton vs Tu
0% similar

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

Key facts for ton
PropertyValue
Headwordton
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/tʌn/
Letters3
Frequency rank#4,419
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ton” 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). ton 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 ton is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /tʌn/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,419 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No generated misspelling entries exist for ton in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "TV", "TX", "Tu", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Variant of tun (“cask”), influenced by Old French tonne (“ton”). The correct English form is ton, spelled T-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various units of mass, originally notionally equal to the contents of a tun
  2. 2
    Any of various units of mass, originally notionally equal to the contents of a tun
  3. 3
    Any of various units of mass, originally notionally equal to the contents of a tun
  4. 4
    Any of various units of volume, originally notionally equal to the contents of a tun
  5. 5
    Any of various units of volume, originally notionally equal to the contents of a tun
  6. 6
    Any large, excessive, or overwhelming amount of anything.
  7. 7
    A unit of thermal power equal to 12,000 BTU/h (about 3.5 kW), approximating the idealized rate of cooling provided by uniform isothermal melting of 1 short ton of ice per day at 0°C.
  8. 8
    Synonym of hundred
  9. 9
    Synonym of hundred
  10. 10
    Synonym of hundred
  11. 11
    Synonym of hundred

Etymology

Variant of tun (“cask”), influenced by Old French tonne (“ton”).

This word in other languages

tonelada(Español)tonne(Français)Tonne(Deutsch)tonelada(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 "ton"?
"ton" is spelled T-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /tʌn/.
What does "ton" mean?
As a noun, "ton" means: Any of various units of mass, originally notionally equal to the contents of a tun
What words are commonly confused with "ton"?
"ton" 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 "ton"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ton" is /tʌn/. 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 "ton"?
Variant of tun (“cask”), influenced by Old French tonne (“ton”). 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 “ton”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is T-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /tʌn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “TV” - see the side-by-side comparison. ton vs TV
  • 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