tubby

/ˈtʌbi/

//ˈtʌbi// adj

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

"tubby" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tubby” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,977. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#43,977
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - stout, rotund

Corpus desk

Index EN-tubby · tubby · English

tubby · rank #43,977 · 6 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #43,977
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH Tsu

Nearest frequency peer: Tsu (-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 “tubby”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tubby” 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).

tubby vs tube
60% similar
tubby vs tubes
60% similar
tubby vs turbo
60% similar

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

Key facts for tubby
PropertyValue
Headwordtubby
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈtʌbi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#43,977
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tubby”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).tubbylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Tsu” (#43,976), “tutti” (#43,979), “tritium” (#43,974). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tubby” is #43,977. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around tubby (IPA /ˈtʌbi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #43,977 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for tubby, with forms such as "tbuby", "ttubby", and "tubbyy". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "tube", "tubes", "turbo", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From tub + -y. False cognate with chubby, even though they are often interchangeable. The correct English form is tubby, spelled T-U-B-B-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    stout, rotund
  2. 2
    Resembling a tub
  3. 3
    sounding dull and without resonance or freedom of sound.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Grace bent to her oars with a springing verve and force which made the tubby little boat draw towards the shore, the whispering lapse of water gliding under its sides all the while.
  2. The clerk vanished, to be replaced a minute later by a tubby Indian with exhausted, visionary eyes.

Etymology

From tub + -y. False cognate with chubby, even though they are often interchangeable.

This word in other languages

gordito(Español)dodu(Français)pummelig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • tbuby
  • ttubby
  • tubbyy
  • tuby
  • tubyb
  • utbby

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tubby - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

tbuby2ttubby1tubbyy1tuby1tubyb2utbby2
Edit distance from "tubby"

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 "tubby"?
"tubby" is spelled T-U-B-B-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtʌbi/.
What does "tubby" mean?
As an adjective, "tubby" means: stout, rotund
What words are commonly confused with "tubby"?
"tubby" is commonly confused with "tube", "tubes", "turbo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tubby"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tubby" is /ˈtʌbi/. 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 "tubby"?
From tub + -y. False cognate with chubby, even though they are often interchangeable. 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 "tubby", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tutti#43,979Udall#43,984torts#43,969thicc#43,959

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

thay6 variantsVogt6 variantswald6 variantssolon6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list