torii

/ˈtoɹi/

//ˈtoɹi// noun

"torii" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“torii” is uncommon English (frequency #74,586 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#74,586
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A traditional Japanese gate at Shinto shrines, symbolically marking the transition from the profane to the sacred.

Corpus desk

Index EN-torii · torii · English

torii · rank #74,586 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #74,586
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tope

Nearest frequency peer: tope (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “torii”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “torii” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for torii
PropertyValue
Headwordtorii
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtoɹi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#74,586
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “torii” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).toriifalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “tope” (#74,585), “Toland” (#74,583), “Tojo” (#74,581). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “torii” is #74,586. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

torii is uncommon English at frequency #74,586 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtoɹi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A traditional Japanese gate at Shinto shrines, symbolically marking the transition from the profane to the sacred.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for torii in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Japanese 鳥居 (torii, literally “bird abode”). The correct English form is torii, spelled T-O-R-I-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    A traditional Japanese gate at Shinto shrines, symbolically marking the transition from the profane to the sacred.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The torii marks the entrance to the sacred grounds of a shrine. There are a variety of types of torii, each with a unique history. Regardless of origin, the torii is inseparably identified with the image of Shinto.

Etymology

From Japanese 鳥居 (torii, literally “bird abode”).

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "torii"?
"torii" is spelled T-O-R-I-I. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtoɹi/.
What does "torii" mean?
As a noun, "torii" means: A traditional Japanese gate at Shinto shrines, symbolically marking the transition from the profane to the sacred.
How do you pronounce "torii"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "torii" is /ˈtoɹi/. 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 "torii"?
From Japanese 鳥居 (torii, literally “bird abode”). 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 "torii", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list