topiary

/ˈtəʊpjəɹi/

//ˈtəʊpjəɹi// adj

"topiary" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“topiary” is uncommon English (frequency #67,109 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,109
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of, or relating to art of topiaries.

Corpus desk

Index EN-topiary · topiary · English

topiary · rank #67,109 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #67,109
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH thurrock

Nearest frequency peer: thurrock (-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 “topiary”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “topiary” 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
Key facts for topiary
PropertyValue
Headwordtopiary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈtəʊpjəɹi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#67,109
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “topiary” 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). topiary lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

topiary is uncommon English at frequency #67,109 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈtəʊpjəɹi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for topiary, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin topiarius (“of or relating to ornamental gardening; an ornamental garden, an ornamental gardener”), from Latin topia (“ornamental gardening, landscape painting”), from Ancient Greek τόπια (tópia, “artistic representation in which natural or artif… The correct English form is topiary, spelled T-O-P-I-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of, or relating to art of topiaries.
  2. 2
    Of a tree or shrub, trimmed in artistic shape.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. As the topiary art has been allowed to practically die out, it is difficult to secure the services of skilled clippers.

Etymology

From Latin topiarius (“of or relating to ornamental gardening; an ornamental garden, an ornamental gardener”), from Latin topia (“ornamental gardening, landscape painting”), from Ancient Greek τόπια (tópia, “artistic representation in which natural or artificial features of a place are used as the medium”), plural of Ancient Greek τόπιον (tópion, “field, landscape”), from τόπος (tópos, “place”). The adjective use dates to 1592, the noun use dates to 1908.

This word in other languages

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "topiary"?
"topiary" is spelled T-O-P-I-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtəʊpjəɹi/.
What does "topiary" mean?
As an adjective, "topiary" means: Of, or relating to art of topiaries.
How do you pronounce "topiary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "topiary" is /ˈtəʊpjəɹi/. 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 "topiary"?
From Latin topiarius (“of or relating to ornamental gardening; an ornamental garden, an ornamental gardener”), from Latin topia (“ornamental gardening, landscape painting”), from Ancient Greek τόπια (tópia, “artistic representation in which natura... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "topiary", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

What to do next

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

  • Usage frequency rank #67,109 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
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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