tone

/təʊn/

//təʊn// noun

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

"tone" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tone” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,092 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,092
frequency rank, English
4
letters
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A specific pitch.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

tone vs too
50% similar
tone vs top
50% similar
tone vs toy
50% similar

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

Key facts for tone
PropertyValue
Headwordtone
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/təʊn/
Letters4
Frequency rank#3,092
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tone” 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). tone 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 tone is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /təʊn/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,092 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 16 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for tone, with forms such as "otne", "tnoe", and "toen". 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 also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "too", "top", "toy", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ton, tone, from Latin tonus (“sound, tone”) (possibly through Old French ton), from Ancient Greek τόνος (tónos, “strain, tension, pitch”), from τείνω (teínō, “to stretch”). Doublet of tune, ton, tonos, and tonus. The correct English form is tone, spelled T-O-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A specific pitch.
  2. 2
    (in the diatonic scale) An interval of a major second.
  3. 3
    (in a Gregorian chant) A recitational melody.
  4. 4
    The character of a sound, especially the timbre of an instrument or voice.
  5. 5
    The pitch of a word's sound that distinguishes a difference in meaning, as for example in Chinese.
  6. 6
    A whining style of speaking; a kind of mournful or artificial strain of voice; an affected speaking with a measured rhythm and a regular rise and fall of the voice.
  7. 7
    The manner in which speech or writing is expressed, especially the aspects of diction (word choice), connotation, emotiveness, and register.
  8. 8
    State of mind; temper; mood.
  9. 9
    The shade or quality of a colour.
  10. 10
    The favourable effect of a picture produced by the combination of light and shade, or of colours.
  11. 11
    The definition and firmness of a muscle or organ; see also: tonus.
  12. 12
    The state of a living body or of any of its organs or parts in which the functions are healthy and performed with due vigor.
  13. 13
    Normal tension or responsiveness to stimuli.
  14. 14
    a gun
  15. 15
    The general character, atmosphere, mood, or vibe (of a situation, place, etc.).
  16. 16
    The quality of being respectable or admirable.

Etymology

From Middle English ton, tone, from Latin tonus (“sound, tone”) (possibly through Old French ton), from Ancient Greek τόνος (tónos, “strain, tension, pitch”), from τείνω (teínō, “to stretch”). Doublet of tune, ton, tonos, and tonus.

Synonyms

whole tone

This word in other languages

tono(Español)ton(Français)Ton(Deutsch)tom(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: otne,tnoe,toen,ttone

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

otne2tnoe2toen2ttone1
Edit distance from "tone"

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 "tone"?
"tone" is spelled T-O-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /təʊn/.
What does "tone" mean?
As a noun, "tone" means: A specific pitch.
What words are commonly confused with "tone"?
"tone" is commonly confused with "too", "top", "toy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tone"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tone" is /təʊn/. 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 "tone"?
From Middle English ton, tone, from Latin tonus (“sound, tone”) (possibly through Old French ton), from Ancient Greek τόνος (tónos, “strain, tension, pitch”), from τείνω (teínō, “to stretch”). Doublet of tune, ton, tonos, and tonus. 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 “tone”

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

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