top

/tɒp/

//tɒp// noun

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

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

The verdict

“top” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #244 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#244
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The highest or uppermost part of something.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

top vs TV
0% similar
top vs TX
0% similar
top vs Tu
0% similar

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

Key facts for top
PropertyValue
Headwordtop
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/tɒp/
Letters3
Frequency rank#244
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “top” 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). top 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 top is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /tɒp/. Corpus data places it at rank #244 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 31 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for top, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "TV", "TX", "Tu", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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, en… The correct English form is top, spelled T-O-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    The highest or uppermost part of something.
  2. 2
    The highest or uppermost part of something.
  3. 3
    The highest or uppermost part of something.
  4. 4
    The highest or uppermost part of something.
  5. 5
    The highest or uppermost part of something.
  6. 6
    The highest or uppermost part of something.
  7. 7
    The highest or uppermost part of something.
  8. 8
    The highest or uppermost part of something.
  9. 9
    The near end of somewhere.
  10. 10
    A child's spinning toy; a spinning top.
  11. 11
    Someone who is eminent.
  12. 12
    Someone who is eminent.
  13. 13
    A peak price of a security during a trading period, before it begins a downward trend.
  14. 14
    A dominant partner in a sadomasochistic relationship or roleplay.
  15. 15
    A dominant partner in a sadomasochistic relationship or roleplay.
  16. 16
    A person who penetrates or has a preference for penetrating during intercourse.
  17. 17
    Fellatio; a blowjob.
  18. 18
    A top quark.
  19. 19
    The utmost degree; the acme; the summit.
  20. 20
    A plug or conical block of wood with longitudinal grooves on its surface, in which the strands of the rope slide in the process of twisting.
  21. 21
    Highest pitch or loudest volume.
  22. 22
    A bundle or ball of slivers of combed wool, from which the noils, or dust, have been taken out.
  23. 23
    Eve; verge; point.
  24. 24
    The part of a cut gem between the girdle, or circumference, and the table, or flat upper surface.
  25. 25
    Topboots.
  26. 26
    A stroke on the top of the ball.
  27. 27
    A forward spin given to the ball by hitting it on or near the top; topspin.
  28. 28
    (A table at which there is, or which has enough seats for) a group of a specified number of people eating at a restaurant.
  29. 29
    Ellipsis of topswarm.
  30. 30
    The First Sergeant or Master Sergeant (U.S. Marine Corps), senior enlisted man at company level.
  31. 31
    a shoot (eaten as a vegetable).

Etymology

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”)). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Top (“top”), Cimbrian sòpf (“braid”), Dutch top (“top, summit, peak”), German Topp (“top of a mast”), Zopf (“braid, pigtail, plait, top”), Luxembourgish Zapp (“plait, tress”), Vilamovian cöp (“braid, plait”), Yiddish צאָפּ (tsop, “braid”), Danish top (“top”), Icelandic toppur (“top”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish topp (“top, peak, summit, tip”), Italian zuffa (“brawl”). The sense of a spinning toy is separated from this, obscurely related to Dutch top and dop in this sense, against Standard Dutch tol, and French toupie having this sense.

This word in other languages

cima(Español)dessus(Français)Oberteil(Deutsch)cima(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 "top"?
"top" is spelled T-O-P. The IPA pronunciation is /tɒp/.
What does "top" mean?
As a noun, "top" means: The highest or uppermost part of something.
What words are commonly confused with "top"?
"top" 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 "top"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "top" is /tɒp/. 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 "top"?
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, p... 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 “top”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is T-O-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /tɒp/ (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. top 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