turbid

/ˈtɜː(ɹ)bɪd/

//ˈtɜː(ɹ)bɪd// adj

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

The verdict

“turbid” is uncommon English (frequency #79,154 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#79,154
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having the lees or sediment disturbed; not clear. (of a liquid)

Corpus desk

Index EN-turbid · turbid · English

turbid · rank #79,154 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #79,154
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH TTR

Nearest frequency peer: TTR (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “turbid”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “turbid” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for turbid
PropertyValue
Headwordturbid
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈtɜː(ɹ)bɪd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#79,154
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “turbid” in English

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).turbidfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “TTR” (#79,153), “UEA” (#79,155), “Tsushima” (#79,152). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “turbid” is #79,154. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

turbid is uncommon English at frequency #79,154 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈtɜː(ɹ)bɪd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for turbid in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English turbide, borrowed from Latin turbidus (“disturbed”), from turba (“mass, throng, crowd, tumult, disturbance”). The correct English form is turbid, spelled T-U-R-B-I-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having the lees or sediment disturbed; not clear. (of a liquid)
  2. 2
    Smoky or misty.
  3. 3
    Unclear; confused; obscure.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. turbid water
  2. On the 6th October, the 18th day of her illness, she presented the following phenomena: — pulse small and quick — urine yellow and turbid.

Etymology

From Middle English turbide, borrowed from Latin turbidus (“disturbed”), from turba (“mass, throng, crowd, tumult, disturbance”).

This word in other languages

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 "turbid"?
"turbid" is spelled T-U-R-B-I-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɜː(ɹ)bɪd/.
What does "turbid" mean?
As an adjective, "turbid" means: Having the lees or sediment disturbed; not clear. (of a liquid)
How do you pronounce "turbid"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "turbid" is /ˈtɜː(ɹ)bɪd/. 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 "turbid"?
From Middle English turbide, borrowed from Latin turbidus (“disturbed”), from turba (“mass, throng, crowd, tumult, disturbance”). 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 "turbid", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list