tungsten

/ˈtʌŋstən/

//ˈtʌŋstən// noun

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

"tungsten" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tungsten” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,934. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,934
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A rare metallic chemical element (symbol W, from Latin wolframium) with an atomic number of 74.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tungsten · tungsten · English

tungsten · rank #24,934 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,934
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH treasured

Nearest frequency peer: treasured (-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 “tungsten”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tungsten” 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 tungsten
PropertyValue
Headwordtungsten
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtʌŋstən/
Letters8
Frequency rank#24,934
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tungsten”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).tungstenlands 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 “treasured” (#24,933), “tilting” (#24,931), “throbbing” (#24,930). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tungsten” is #24,934. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around tungsten (IPA /ˈtʌŋstən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #24,934 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for tungsten, with forms such as "tnugsten", "ttungsten", and "tugnsten". 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. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Swedish tungsten (“scheelite”), from tung (“heavy”) + sten (“stone”). The correct English form is tungsten, spelled T-U-N-G-S-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A rare metallic chemical element (symbol W, from Latin wolframium) with an atomic number of 74.
  2. 2
    A light bulb containing tungsten.
  3. 3
    scheelite, calcium tungstate

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. So far they have built and used a prototype robot to make millionth-of-a-meter scratches in aluminum with a fine tungsten needle.
  2. Which makes the concept known as Rods From God the ultimate form of kinetic weaponry. This theoretical weapon would drop telephone pole sized rods of dense tungsten from a satellite in orbit.

Etymology

Borrowed from Swedish tungsten (“scheelite”), from tung (“heavy”) + sten (“stone”).

Synonyms

wolfram

This word in other languages

wolframio(Español)tungstène(Français)Wolfram(Deutsch)tungstênio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • tnugsten
  • ttungsten
  • tugnsten
  • tunggsten
  • tungsetn
  • tungssten
  • tungstenn
  • tungstne
  • tungstten
  • tungtsen
  • tunngsten
  • tunsgten
  • utngsten

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

tnugsten2ttungsten1tugnsten2tunggsten1tungsetn2tungssten1tungstenn1tungstne2
Edit distance from "tungsten"

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 "tungsten"?
"tungsten" is spelled T-U-N-G-S-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtʌŋstən/.
What does "tungsten" mean?
As a noun, "tungsten" means: A rare metallic chemical element (symbol W, from Latin wolframium) with an atomic number of 74.
What are common misspellings of "tungsten"?
Common misspellings include "tnugsten", "ttungsten", "tugnsten", "tunggsten", "tungsetn". The correct spelling is "tungsten".
How do you pronounce "tungsten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tungsten" is /ˈtʌŋstən/. 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 "tungsten"?
Borrowed from Swedish tungsten (“scheelite”), from tung (“heavy”) + sten (“stone”). 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 "tungsten", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

unharmed#24,941untimely#24,945whomever#24,955spotless#24,912

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

treasured13 variantsthrobbing13 variantsstrenuous13 variantsworkable13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list