tub
/tʌb/noun, verb
tub is spelled T-U-B: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 7.1 times per million words in written English, the 8,918th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). 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” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tub is tubs.
How many letters and syllables are in tub?
| Letters | 3: T-U-B |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 7.1 times per million words; the 8,918th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is tub?
Tub appears 7.1 times per million words in written English, the 8,918th 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 tub?
- /tʌb/
- /tʊb/
Tub 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-au-tub.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with tub?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as tub.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: but.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of tub
- tubs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- tubbing participle, present
- tubbed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tub mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 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.
He bought a tub of lard to roast the potatoes in.
- 2
The contents or capacity of such a vessel.
She added a tub of margarine to the stew.
- 3
A bathtub.
- 4
informalA slow-moving craft.
- 5
derogatoryAny structure shaped like a tub, such as a certain old form of pulpit, a short broad boat, etc.
- 6
A small cask.
a tub of gin
- 7
Any of various historically designated quantities of goods to be sold by the tub (butter, oysters, etc).
- 8
A box or bucket in which coal or ore is sent up a shaft.
verb
- 1
To plant, set, or store in a tub.
to tub a plant
- 2
To bathe in a tub.
February 1, 1873, Meredith Townsend and Richard Holt Hutton (editors), "Change of Air and Scene", in The Spectator Don't we all "tub" in England?
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tub in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 tub come from?
From Middle English tubbe, tobbe, from Middle Dutch tubbe or Middle Low German tubbe, tobbe, further etymology unknown. Considered to be unrelated to tube.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).