tubercular

/tjuˈbɜːkjələ(ɹ)/

//tjuˈbɜːkjələ(ɹ)// adj

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

The verdict

“tubercular” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of, pertaining to, or having tuberculosis.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tubercular · tubercular · English

tubercular · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "T" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for tubercular
PropertyValue
Headwordtubercular
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/tjuˈbɜːkjələ(ɹ)/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “tubercular” in English

tubercularsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tubercular is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /tjuˈbɜːkjələ(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

tubercular has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Latin tuberculum (“diminutive of tuber (“lump”)”) + -ar The correct English form is tubercular, spelled T-U-B-E-R-C-U-L-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of, pertaining to, or having tuberculosis.
  2. 2
    Relating to or reminiscent of the wheezing sounds associated with the breathing of tuberculosis patients.
  3. 3
    Having, being, or relating to tubercles.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. As he grew older, his tubercular thinness tended toward emaciation.
  2. He set up business in Sydney, the little capital city of one of the middle Southern states, lived soberly and industriously under the attentive eye of a folk still raw with defeat and hostility, and finally, his good name founded and admission won, he married a gaunt tubercular spinstress, ten years his elder, but with a nest egg and an unshakable will to…

Etymology

Latin tuberculum (“diminutive of tuber (“lump”)”) + -ar

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tubercular"?
"tubercular" is spelled T-U-B-E-R-C-U-L-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /tjuˈbɜːkjələ(ɹ)/.
What does "tubercular" mean?
As an adjective, "tubercular" means: Of, pertaining to, or having tuberculosis.
How do you pronounce "tubercular"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tubercular" is /tjuˈbɜːkjələ(ɹ)/. 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 "tubercular"?
Latin tuberculum (“diminutive of tuber (“lump”)”) + -ar 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list