turban

/ˈtɜːbən/

//ˈtɜːbən// noun

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

"turban" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“turban” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,015. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,015
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A man's headdress made by winding a length of cloth round the head.

Corpus desk

Index EN-turban · turban · English

turban · rank #31,015 · 9 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,015
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tusk

Nearest frequency peer: tusk (+2 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 “turban”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “turban” 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).

turban vs turn
67% similar
turban vs turbo
67% similar
turban vs Turin
50% similar

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

Key facts for turban
PropertyValue
Headwordturban
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɜːbən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#31,015
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “turban”

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).turbanlands 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 “tusk” (#31,017), “trucker” (#31,012), “triton” (#31,011). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “turban” is #31,015. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around turban (IPA /ˈtɜːbən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,015 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for turban, with forms such as "truban", "tturban", and "tubran". 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. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "turn", "turbo", "Turin", 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 Middle French turbant, from Italian turbante, from Ottoman Turkish دلبند (tülbent), from Classical Persian دلبند (dulband), also the root of tulip. The correct English form is turban, spelled T-U-R-B-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A man's headdress made by winding a length of cloth round the head.
  2. 2
    A woman's close-fitting hat with little or no brim.
  3. 3
    The complete set of whorls of a spiral shell.
  4. 4
    A towel wrapped around long wet hair in a manner resembling a turban.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Me thinks I ſee the Turke nodding vvith his Turban, and telling me that I ſhould thanke Heaven for that diſtance vvhich is betvvixt us, els he vvould ſvvallovv me all up at one morſell; […]
  2. From India and the golden Cherſoneſs, / And utmoſt Indian Iſle Taprobane, / Dusk faces vvith vvhite ſilken Turbants vvreath'd: […]

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French turbant, from Italian turbante, from Ottoman Turkish دلبند (tülbent), from Classical Persian دلبند (dulband), also the root of tulip.

This word in other languages

turbante(Español)turban(Français)Turban(Deutsch)turbante(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • truban
  • tturban
  • tubran
  • turabn
  • turbann
  • turbban
  • turbna
  • turrban
  • utrban

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

truban2tturban1tubran2turabn2turbann1turbban1turbna2turrban1
Edit distance from "turban"

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 "turban"?
"turban" is spelled T-U-R-B-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɜːbən/.
What does "turban" mean?
As a noun, "turban" means: A man's headdress made by winding a length of cloth round the head.
What words are commonly confused with "turban"?
"turban" is commonly confused with "turn", "turbo", "Turin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "turban"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "turban" is /ˈtɜːbən/. 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 "turban"?
Borrowed from Middle French turbant, from Italian turbante, from Ottoman Turkish دلبند (tülbent), from Classical Persian دلبند (dulband), also the root of tulip. 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 "turban", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

triton#31,011topple#31,007unplug#31,023tiller#31,004

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

trapper9 variantswanker9 variantsswerve9 variantsZagreb9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list