torn
/toɹn/adjective, verb
torn is spelled T-O-R-N: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,230th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, torn means “Having undergone tearing; ripped or shredded” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in torn?
| Letters | 4: T-O-R-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 12 times per million words; the 6,230th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with |
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 torn?
Torn appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,230th 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 torn?
- UK /tɔːn/
- British /toːn/
- US /toɹn/
Torn 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-uk-torn.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Pvanp7-torn.wav, En-us-torn.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with torn
Sounds like: tawn (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with torn?
10 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as torn from its last stressed vowel (/oɹn/):
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 torn
- more torn comparative
- most torn superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does torn mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having undergone tearing; ripped or shredded.
- 2
Unable to decide between multiple options.
I'm torn between pizza and hamburgers.
- 3
Having marginal incisions that are deep and irregular.
verb
- 1
past participle of tear
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Torn in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense unable to decide:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | tiraillé |
| German | hin- und hergerissen |
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.