tunic

/ˈtjuːnɪk/

//ˈtjuːnɪk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“tunic” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,288. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,288
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A garment worn over the torso, with or without sleeves, and of various lengths reaching from the hips to the ankles.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tunic · tunic · English

tunic · rank #26,288 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,288
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tundra

Nearest frequency peer: tundra (-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 “tunic”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tunic” 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).

tunic vs Turin
40% similar
tunic vs Tunis
60% similar
tunic vs tuning
67% similar

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

Key facts for tunic
PropertyValue
Headwordtunic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtjuːnɪk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#26,288
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tunic”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).tuniclands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “tundra” (#26,287), “tweaked” (#26,289), “toolkit” (#26,285). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tunic” is #26,288. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around tunic (IPA /ˈtjuːnɪk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #26,288 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for tunic, with forms such as "tnuic", "ttunic", and "tuinc". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Turin", "Tunis", "tuning", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French tunique, from Latin tunica, possibly from Semitic (compare Aramaic [script needed] (kittuna), Hebrew כותנת (kuttoneth, “coat”), English chiton); or from Etruscan. Existed in Old English as tunece; unknown if that term was lost an… The correct English form is tunic, spelled T-U-N-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    A garment worn over the torso, with or without sleeves, and of various lengths reaching from the hips to the ankles.
  2. 2
    Any covering, such as seed coat or the organ that covers a membrane.
  3. 3
    Synonym of gymslip.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. As soon as Julia returned with a constable, Timothy, who was on the point of exhaustion, prepared to give over to him gratefully. The newcomer turned out to be a powerful youngster, fully trained and eager to help, and he stripped off his tunic at once.
  2. Select individual bulbs that are firm and have no noticeable blemishes on them. Don't worry about the papery covering or tunic. That may or may not be in place, […]

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French tunique, from Latin tunica, possibly from Semitic (compare Aramaic [script needed] (kittuna), Hebrew כותנת (kuttoneth, “coat”), English chiton); or from Etruscan. Existed in Old English as tunece; unknown if that term was lost and then reborrowed later. Doublet of tunica.

This word in other languages

túnica(Español)tunique(Français)Tunika(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • tnuic
  • ttunic
  • tuinc
  • tunci
  • tunicc
  • tunnic
  • utnic

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tunic - 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.

tnuic2ttunic1tuinc2tunci2tunicc1tunnic1utnic2
Edit distance from "tunic"

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 "tunic"?
"tunic" is spelled T-U-N-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtjuːnɪk/.
What does "tunic" mean?
As a noun, "tunic" means: A garment worn over the torso, with or without sleeves, and of various lengths reaching from the hips to the ankles.
What words are commonly confused with "tunic"?
"tunic" is commonly confused with "Turin", "Tunis", "tuning". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tunic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tunic" is /ˈtjuːnɪk/. 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 "tunic"?
Borrowed from Middle French tunique, from Latin tunica, possibly from Semitic (compare Aramaic [script needed] (kittuna), Hebrew כותנת (kuttoneth, “coat”), English chiton); or from Etruscan. Existed in Old English as tunece; unknown if that term w... 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 "tunic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

supra#26,272waxed#26,304spank#26,258snout#26,255

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Sutter7 variantsbrine7 variantsmuppet7 variantsmullen7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list