tulle

/tjuːl/

//tjuːl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“tulle” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #46,228. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#46,228
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A kind of silk lace or light netting, used for clothing, veils, etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tulle · tulle · English

tulle · rank #46,228 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #46,228
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH turtleneck

Nearest frequency peer: turtleneck (+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 “tulle”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tulle” 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).

tulle vs tune
60% similar
tulle vs Tulsa
40% similar
tulle vs Tully
60% similar

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

Key facts for tulle
PropertyValue
Headwordtulle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/tjuːl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#46,228
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tulle”

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).tullelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “turtleneck” (#46,229), “Tutsi” (#46,230), “tradesman” (#46,225). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tulle” is #46,228. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around tulle (IPA /tjuːl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #46,228 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A kind of silk lace or light netting, used for clothing, veils, etc.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for tulle, with forms such as "tlule", "ttulle", and "tule". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "tune", "Tulsa", "Tully", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French tulle, named after French Tulle (a town), named after Latin Tūtēla (a Roman deity), from Latin tūtēla (whence English tutelary), from Latin tueor (whence tutor, tutorial). The correct English form is tulle, spelled T-U-L-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A kind of silk lace or light netting, used for clothing, veils, etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I kept thinking of Marie Osmond — standing there at the altar, so brave in white tull ^([sic]). "Marriage isn't just for life," she said, "it's for eternity."
  2. ‘Before I forget, there is one turquoise tulle fabric I think you would love . . .’

Etymology

Borrowed from French tulle, named after French Tulle (a town), named after Latin Tūtēla (a Roman deity), from Latin tūtēla (whence English tutelary), from Latin tueor (whence tutor, tutorial).

This word in other languages

tul(Español)tulle(Français)Tüll(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • tlule
  • ttulle
  • tule
  • tulel
  • utlle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

tlule2ttulle1tule1tulel2utlle2
Edit distance from "tulle"

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 "tulle"?
"tulle" is spelled T-U-L-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /tjuːl/.
What does "tulle" mean?
As a noun, "tulle" means: A kind of silk lace or light netting, used for clothing, veils, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "tulle"?
"tulle" is commonly confused with "tune", "Tulsa", "Tully". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tulle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tulle" is /tjuːl/. 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 "tulle"?
Borrowed from French tulle, named after French Tulle (a town), named after Latin Tūtēla (a Roman deity), from Latin tūtēla (whence English tutelary), from Latin tueor (whence tutor, tutorial). 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 "tulle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Tutsi#46,230taiga#46,208Velma#46,253Vikas#46,256

Similar misspelling depth

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

tivo5 variantswile5 variantssook5 variantsxoxo5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list