Torvalds
/ˈtɔːrvɔːldz/
"torvalds" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“Torvalds” is uncommon English (frequency #79,138 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #79,138
- frequency rank, English
- 3,151
- “T” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A surname.
Corpus desk
Index EN-torvalds · Torvalds · English
Torvalds · rank #79,138 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #79,138
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,151
- PHOTO-FINISH tola
Nearest frequency peer: tola (-2 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 “Torvalds”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- Tillamook
Tillamook
20,869 corpus weight
- tola
tola
20,865 corpus weight
- Torvalds
Torvalds
20,863 corpus weight
- trackside
trackside
20,861 corpus weight
- Transylvani…
Transylvanian
20,858 corpus weight
- Treves
Treves
20,856 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “Torvalds” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Torvalds |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Proper noun |
| IPA | /ˈtɔːrvɔːldz/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #79,138 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “Torvalds” in English
Rare enough to double-check
Torvalds is uncommon English at frequency #79,138 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /ˈtɔːrvɔːldz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A surname.".
Torvalds doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Swedish Torvalds, constructed from Torvald. The correct English form is Torvalds, spelled T-O-R-V-A-L-D-S.
Definition
- 1A surname.
Etymology
Borrowed from Swedish Torvalds, constructed from Torvald.
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Torvalds", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).