top
/tɑp/noun, verb, adjective, adverb
top is spelled T-O-P: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 372 times per million words in written English, the 242nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, top means “The highest or uppermost part of something” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of top is tops.
How many letters and syllables are in top?
| Letters | 3: T-O-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 372 times per million words; the 242nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is top?
Top appears 372 times per million words in written English, the 242nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce top?
- UK /tɒp/
- UK [tʰɒp]
- US /tɑp/
Top has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-top.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with top?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as top from its last stressed vowel (/ɑp/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: pot, opt.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of top
- tops plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- topping participle, present
- topped participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does top mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The highest or uppermost part of something.
His kite got caught at the top of the tree.
- 2
The part of something that is usually highest or uppermost.
We flipped the machine onto its top.
- 3
The uppermost part of a page, picture, viewing screen, etc.
Further weather information can be found at the top of your television screen.
- 4
A lid, cap, or cover of a container.
Put a top on the toothpaste tube or it will go bad.
- 5
A garment worn to cover the torso.
I bought this top as it matches my jeans.
- 6
A framework at the top of a ship's mast to which rigging is attached.
- 7
The first half of an inning, during which the home team fields and the visiting team bats.
- 8
archaicThe crown of the head, or the hair upon it; the head.
verb
- 1
To cover on the top or with a top.
I like my ice cream topped with chocolate sauce.
- 2
To exceed in height.
- 3
To excel, to surpass, to beat, to exceed.
Titanic was the most successful film ever until it was topped by another Cameron film, Avatar.
- 4
To be in the lead, to be at number one position (of).
Celine Dion topped the UK music charts twice in the 1990s.
- 5
To cut or remove the top (as of a tree)
I don't want to be bald, so just top my hair.
- 6
AustraliaUKslangTo commit suicide.
Depression causes many people to top themselves.
- 7
AustraliaUKarchaicrareslangTo murder or execute.
- 8
To be the dominant partner in a BDSM relationship or roleplay.
I used to be a slave, but I ended up topping.
adjective
- 1
Situated on the top of something.
- 2
informalBest; of the highest quality, fame or rank.
She's in the top dance school.
- 3
informalVery good, of high quality, power, or rank.
He's a top lawyer.
- 4
Relating to the chest or breasts.
top surgery
adverb
- 1
Best, highest.
Our product is top-rated on all major platforms.
interjection
- 1
obsoleteThe signal among tailors and seamstresses for snuffing the candle. The last of them to cry "top" had to snuff the candle.
"Well," replied Davie, […] "a wilful woman must have her way like any man – and I doubt your patience is sorely tried, Barbara – Top!" This last expression, which may seem rather irrelevant, had direct reference to the wick of the candle, w
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Top in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dessus, sommet , couvercle , hune , première demi-manche , actif |
| German | Oberteil, Spitze, Gipfel , Deckel, Kappe , top |
| Portuguese | cima, topo, sumidade, cimo, cume , cobrir |
| Spanish | cima, parte superior, parte de más arriba, parte de arriba, parte de encima , cabecera |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does top come from?
From Middle English top, toppe, from Old English topp (“top, highest part; summit; crest; tassel, tuft; (spinning) top, ball; a tuft or ball at the highest point of anything”), from Proto-West Germanic *topp, from Proto-Germanic *tuppaz (“braid, pigtail, end”), of unknown ultimate origin. Compare typologically Latin apex (<< Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep- (“to join, attach, fasten, fit”)).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).