tremendous

/tɹɪˈmɛndəs/

//tɹɪˈmɛndəs// adj

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

"tremendous" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tremendous” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,426. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,426
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Awe-inspiring; terrific.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tremendous · tremendous · English

tremendous · rank #6,426 · 15 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,426
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tops

Nearest frequency peer: tops (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “tremendous”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “tremendous” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

tremendous vs tremendously
83% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for tremendous
PropertyValue
Headwordtremendous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/tɹɪˈmɛndəs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#6,426
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tremendous”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).tremendouslands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “tops” (#6,425), “valued” (#6,427), “toe” (#6,424). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tremendous” is #6,426. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around tremendous (IPA /tɹɪˈmɛndəs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #6,426 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for tremendous, with forms such as "rtemendous", "termendous", and "treemndous". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "tremendously", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Adapted borrowing of Latin tremendus (“fearful, terrible”, gerundive of tremō (“to tremble”)) + -ous. Doublet of tremend. The correct English form is tremendous, spelled T-R-E-M-E-N-D-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Awe-inspiring; terrific.
  2. 2
    Notable for its size, power, or excellence.
  3. 3
    Extremely large (in amount, extent, degree, etc.) or great

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This she spoke with so commanding an air, standing with her back to the fire, with one hand behind her, and a pinch of snuff in the other, that I question whether Thalestris, at the head of her Amazons, ever made a more tremendous figure.
  2. Van Beethoven's ninth symphony is a tremendous piece of music.

Etymology

Adapted borrowing of Latin tremendus (“fearful, terrible”, gerundive of tremō (“to tremble”)) + -ous. Doublet of tremend.

This word in other languages

tremendo(Español)formidable(Français)beträchtlich(Deutsch)tremendo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rtemendous
  • termendous
  • treemndous
  • tremednous
  • tremenddous
  • tremendosu
  • tremendouss
  • tremenduos
  • tremenndous
  • tremenodus
  • tremmendous
  • tremnedous
  • trmeendous
  • trremendous
  • ttremendous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tremendous - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

rtemendous2termendous2treemndous2tremednous2tremenddous1tremendosu2tremendouss1tremenduos2
Edit distance from "tremendous"

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 "tremendous"?
"tremendous" is spelled T-R-E-M-E-N-D-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /tɹɪˈmɛndəs/.
What does "tremendous" mean?
As an adjective, "tremendous" means: Awe-inspiring; terrific.
What words are commonly confused with "tremendous"?
"tremendous" is commonly confused with "tremendously". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tremendous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tremendous" is /tɹɪˈmɛndəs/. 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 "tremendous"?
Adapted borrowing of Latin tremendus (“fearful, terrible”, gerundive of tremō (“to tremble”)) + -ous. Doublet of tremend. 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 "tremendous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

addressing#6,432submission#6,419responding#6,408completing#6,451

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

prospects15 variantsobligation15 variantsnomination15 variantsindication15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list