tumultuous

/tjʊˈmʌl.tjʊ.əs/

//tjʊˈmʌl.tjʊ.əs// adj

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

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

The verdict

“tumultuous” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,010. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,010
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Characterized by loud, confused noise.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tumultuous · tumultuous · English

tumultuous · rank #27,010 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,010
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH truffle

Nearest frequency peer: truffle (-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 “tumultuous”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tumultuous” 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
Key facts for tumultuous
PropertyValue
Headwordtumultuous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/tjʊˈmʌl.tjʊ.əs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#27,010
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tumultuous”

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).tumultuouslands 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 “truffle” (#27,009), “Trish” (#27,008), “unclean” (#27,012). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tumultuous” is #27,010. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around tumultuous (IPA /tjʊˈmʌl.tjʊ.əs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #27,010 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for tumultuous, with forms such as "tmuultuous", "ttumultuous", and "tumlutuous". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French tumultuous (modern French tumultueux), from Latin tumultuōsus (“restless, turbulent”), from tumultus (“disturbance, uproar, violent commotion, tumult; agitation, disturbance, excitement”) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of, prone to’ forming a… The correct English form is tumultuous, spelled T-U-M-U-L-T-U-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Characterized by loud, confused noise.
  2. 2
    Causing or characterized by tumult; chaotic, disorderly, turbulent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Rage with Iambicks, arm'd Archilocus / Numbers for Dialogue and Action fit, / And Favourites of the Dramatick Muſe. / Fierce, Lofty, Rapid, whoſe commanding Sound / Awes the tumultuous Noiſes of the Pit, / And whoſe peculiar Province is the Stage.
  2. The noise in this room was perfectly tumultuous, for there were more children there, than Scrooge in his agitated state of mind could count; and, unlike the celebrated herd in the poem, they were not forty children conducting themselves like one, but every child was conducting itself like forty.

Etymology

From Old French tumultuous (modern French tumultueux), from Latin tumultuōsus (“restless, turbulent”), from tumultus (“disturbance, uproar, violent commotion, tumult; agitation, disturbance, excitement”) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of, prone to’ forming adjectives from nouns).

Antonyms

untumultuousquietcalm

This word in other languages

tumultuoso(Español)tumultuaire(Français)tumultuarisch(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • tmuultuous
  • ttumultuous
  • tumlutuous
  • tummultuous
  • tumulltuous
  • tumultouus
  • tumulttuous
  • tumultuosu
  • tumultuouss
  • tumultuuos
  • tumulutous
  • tumutluous
  • tuumltuous
  • utmultuous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

tmuultuous2ttumultuous1tumlutuous2tummultuous1tumulltuous1tumultouus2tumulttuous1tumultuosu2
Edit distance from "tumultuous"

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 "tumultuous"?
"tumultuous" is spelled T-U-M-U-L-T-U-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /tjʊˈmʌl.tjʊ.əs/.
What does "tumultuous" mean?
As an adjective, "tumultuous" means: Characterized by loud, confused noise.
What are common misspellings of "tumultuous"?
Common misspellings include "tmuultuous", "ttumultuous", "tumlutuous", "tummultuous", "tumulltuous". The correct spelling is "tumultuous".
How do you pronounce "tumultuous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tumultuous" is /tjʊˈmʌl.tjʊ.əs/. 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 "tumultuous"?
From Old French tumultuous (modern French tumultueux), from Latin tumultuōsus (“restless, turbulent”), from tumultus (“disturbance, uproar, violent commotion, tumult; agitation, disturbance, excitement”) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of, prone to’... 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 "tumultuous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tabernacle#26,991sympathize#26,990surgically#26,987xenophobia#27,034

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

stimulant14 variantsBreitbart14 variantsClarendon14 variantsprofanity14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list