tub

/tʌb/

//tʌb// noun

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

"tub" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tub” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #8,998) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#8,998
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A flat-bottomed vessel, of width similar to or greater than its height, used for storing or packing things, or for washing things in.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tub · tub · English

tub · rank #8,998 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,998
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tomato

Nearest frequency peer: tomato (-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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “tub”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “tub” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

tub vs TV
0% similar
tub vs TX
0% similar
tub vs Ty
0% similar

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

Key facts for tub
PropertyValue
Headwordtub
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/tʌb/
Letters3
Frequency rank#8,998
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “tub”

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).tublands 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 “tomato” (#8,997), “UFC” (#8,999), “timely” (#8,996). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tub” is #8,998. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for tub is neighbouring look-alikes ("TV", "TX", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /tʌb/. Frequency #8,998 among 3,151 “T” headwords. 11 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for tub, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "TV", "TX", "Ty", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English tubbe, tobbe, from Middle Dutch tubbe or Middle Low German tubbe, tobbe, further etymology unknown. Considered to be unrelated to tube. The correct English form is tub, spelled T-U-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    A flat-bottomed vessel, of width similar to or greater than its height, used for storing or packing things, or for washing things in.
  2. 2
    The contents or capacity of such a vessel.
  3. 3
    A bathtub.
  4. 4
    A slow-moving craft.
  5. 5
    Any structure shaped like a tub, such as a certain old form of pulpit, a short broad boat, etc.
  6. 6
    A small cask.
  7. 7
    Any of various historically designated quantities of goods to be sold by the tub (butter, oysters, etc).
  8. 8
    A box or bucket in which coal or ore is sent up a shaft.
  9. 9
    A sweating in a tub; a tub fast.
  10. 10
    A corpulent or obese person.
  11. 11
    The bare body shell of an automobile (minus the doors, hood, trunk lid, fenders, etc.) which is lowered onto the chassis at the time of assembly, or in the case of modern unibody designed vehicles, is itself a monocoque around which the rest of the vehicle is built.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He bought a tub of lard to roast the potatoes in.
  2. She added a tub of margarine to the stew.

Etymology

From Middle English tubbe, tobbe, from Middle Dutch tubbe or Middle Low German tubbe, tobbe, further etymology unknown. Considered to be unrelated to tube.

This word in other languages

cuba(Español)bassine(Français)Dose(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 "tub"?
"tub" is spelled T-U-B. The IPA pronunciation is /tʌb/.
What does "tub" mean?
As a noun, "tub" means: A flat-bottomed vessel, of width similar to or greater than its height, used for storing or packing things, or for washing things in.
What words are commonly confused with "tub"?
"tub" is commonly confused with "TV", "TX", "Ty". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tub"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tub" is /tʌb/. 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 "tub"?
From Middle English tubbe, tobbe, from Middle Dutch tubbe or Middle Low German tubbe, tobbe, further etymology unknown. Considered to be unrelated to tube. 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 "tub", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

UFC#8,999rim#8,979Dee#9,031doe#9,035

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list