tout
/taʊt/noun, verb
tout is spelled T-O-U-T: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,965th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, tout means “Someone advertising for customers in an aggressive way” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tout is touts.
How many letters and syllables are in tout?
| Letters | 4: T-O-U-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.5 times per million words; the 22,965th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is tout?
Tout appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,965th 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 tout?
- /taʊt/
- Canada /tʌʊt/
Tout 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-us-tout.ogg, En-au-tout.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of tout
- touts plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- touting participle, present
- touted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tout mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Someone advertising for customers in an aggressive way.
Be careful of the ticket touts outside the arena; they are famed for selling counterfeits.
- 2
A person at a racecourse who offers supposedly inside information on which horse is likely to win.
- 3
colloquialAn informer in the Irish Republican Army.
- 4
archaiccolloquialA spy for a smuggler, thief, or the like.
- 5
In the game of solo, a proposal to win all eight tricks.
verb
- 1
To flaunt, to publicize/publicise; to boast or brag about; to promote.
Mary has been touted as a potential successor to the current CEO.
- 2
UKslangTo spy out information about (a horse, a racing stable, etc.).
- 3
USslangTo give a tip on (a racehorse) to a person, with the expectation of sharing in any winnings.
- 4
UKslangTo spy out the movements of racehorses at their trials, or to get by stealth or other improper means the secrets of the stable, for betting purposes.
- 5
USslangTo act as a tout; to give a tip on a racehorse.
- 6
To look for, try to obtain; used with for.
To understand the new London, I lived it. I slept rough with Roma beggars and touted for work with Baltic laborers on the kerb.
- 7
obsoleteTo look upon or watch.
Nor durst Orcanes view the Soldan's face, / But still upon the floor did pore and tout.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tout in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | racoleur, vendeur ambulant, rabatteur, pronostiqueur , racoler |
| German | Drogenvermittler, Drogenvermittlerin, Kartenschwarzhändler, Kartenschwarzhändlerin, Schlepperin, Marktschreier |
| Spanish | gancho , ofrecer, publicitar, presumir, promocionar, propagandear |
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.
Where does tout come from?
From Middle English touten (“to jut out, protrude, gaze upon, observe, peer”), from Old English *tūtian (“to be sticking out, protrude”), related to Old English tȳtan (“to stand out, be conspicuous, shine”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *tut(t)- (“to stick out, project”). Compare Icelandic túta (“a teat-like prominence”), tútna (“to be blown up”). Possibly influenced by dialectal toot (“to stick out; project; peer out; peep”), from Middle English toten, totien, from Old English tōtian (“to peep out; look; pry; spectate”). Compare also Old English tot, ġetot (“pomp, splendour, vainglory”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).