took

/tʊk/

//tʊk// verb

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

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

The verdict

“took” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #292) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#292
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - simple past of take

Corpus desk

Index EN-took · took · English

took · rank #292 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #292
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH small

Nearest frequency peer: small (-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 “took”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “took” 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 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

took vs two
50% similar
took vs top
50% similar
took vs toy
50% similar

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

Key facts for took
PropertyValue
Headwordtook
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/tʊk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#292
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “took” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).tooklands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “small” (#291), “white” (#293), “national” (#290). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for took is neighbouring look-alikes ("two", "top", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /tʊk/. Frequency #292 among 3,151 “T” headwords. 2 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for took, with forms such as "otok", "toko", and "tookk". 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, "two", "top", "toy", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is took, spelled T-O-O-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    simple past of take
  2. 2
    past participle of take

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. He had him gripped firmly by the arm, since he felt it was not safe to let him loose, and he had no immediate idea what to do with him.
  2. A gracious perſon ; But yet I cannot loue him : / He might have tooke his anſwer long ago

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • otok
  • toko
  • tookk
  • ttook

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

otok2toko2tookk1ttook1
Edit distance from "took"

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 "took"?
"took" is spelled T-O-O-K. The IPA pronunciation is /tʊk/.
What does "took" mean?
As a verb, "took" means: simple past of take
What words are commonly confused with "took"?
"took" is commonly confused with "two", "top", "toy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "took"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "took" is /tʊk/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "took" come from?
"took" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 "took", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

came#294head#288call#287side#297

What to do next

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

  • "took" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "two". View pair
  • 4 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #292 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