totter

/ˈtɒtə/

//ˈtɒtə// verb

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

"totter" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“totter” is uncommon English (frequency #80,053 among 27,828 “T” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#80,053
frequency rank, English
27,828
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To walk, move or stand unsteadily or falteringly; threatening to fall.

Key facts for totter
PropertyValue
Headwordtotter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈtɒtə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#80,053
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “totter” 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). totter 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

totter is uncommon English at frequency #80,053 among 27,828 “T” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈtɒtə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

totter has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English totren, toteren, from earlier *tolteren (compare dialectal English tolter (“to struggle, flounder”); Scots tolter (“unstable, wonky”)), from Old English tealtrian (“to totter, vacillate”), from Proto-Germanic *taltrōną, a frequentative f… The correct English form is totter, spelled T-O-T-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To walk, move or stand unsteadily or falteringly; threatening to fall.
  2. 2
    To be on the brink of collapse.
  3. 3
    To collect junk or scrap.

Etymology

From Middle English totren, toteren, from earlier *tolteren (compare dialectal English tolter (“to struggle, flounder”); Scots tolter (“unstable, wonky”)), from Old English tealtrian (“to totter, vacillate”), from Proto-Germanic *taltrōną, a frequentative form of Proto-Germanic *taltōną (“to sway, dangle, hesitate”), from Proto-Indo-European *del-, *dul- (“to shake, hesitate”). Cognate with Dutch touteren (“to tremble”), Norwegian dialectal totra (“to quiver, shake”), North Frisian talt, tolt (“unstable, shaky”). Related to tilt.

Synonyms

reelteetertoddlestaggersway

This word in other languages

tambalearse(Español)tituber(Français)schwanken(Deutsch)

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 "totter"?
"totter" is spelled T-O-T-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɒtə/.
What does "totter" mean?
As a verb, "totter" means: To walk, move or stand unsteadily or falteringly; threatening to fall.
How do you pronounce "totter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "totter" is /ˈtɒtə/. 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 "totter"?
From Middle English totren, toteren, from earlier *tolteren (compare dialectal English tolter (“to struggle, flounder”); Scots tolter (“unstable, wonky”)), from Old English tealtrian (“to totter, vacillate”), from Proto-Germanic *taltrōną, a frequ... 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 “totter”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is T-O-T-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈtɒtə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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