turmoil

/ˈtɜːmɔɪl/

//ˈtɜːmɔɪl// noun

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

"turmoil" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“turmoil” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,657. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,657
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A state of great disorder or uncertainty.

Corpus desk

Index EN-turmoil · turmoil · English

turmoil · rank #14,657 · 10 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,657
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH typed

Nearest frequency peer: typed (+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 “turmoil”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “turmoil” 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 turmoil
PropertyValue
Headwordturmoil
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɜːmɔɪl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#14,657
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “turmoil”

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).turmoillands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “typed” (#14,658), “tsunami” (#14,655), “tyranny” (#14,659). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “turmoil” is #14,657. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around turmoil (IPA /ˈtɜːmɔɪl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,657 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for turmoil, with forms such as "trumoil", "tturmoil", and "tumroil". 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 confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Unknown. First appears c. 1526. Perhaps from Old French tremouille (“the hopper of a mill”). The correct English form is turmoil, spelled T-U-R-M-O-I-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A state of great disorder or uncertainty.
  2. 2
    Harassing labor; trouble; disturbance.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Oleg Blokhin's side lost the talismanic Andriy Shevchenko to the substitutes' bench because of a knee injury but still showed enough to put England through real turmoil in spells.
  2. The Taoists developed their philosophy during an extended era of turmoil known as the Warring States period of Chinese history.

Etymology

Unknown. First appears c. 1526. Perhaps from Old French tremouille (“the hopper of a mill”).

Synonyms

chaosdisorder

This word in other languages

desorden(Español)chaos(Français)Aufruhr(Deutsch)desordem(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • trumoil
  • tturmoil
  • tumroil
  • turmiol
  • turmmoil
  • turmoill
  • turmoli
  • turomil
  • turrmoil
  • utrmoil

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of turmoil - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

trumoil2tturmoil1tumroil2turmiol2turmmoil1turmoill1turmoli2turomil2
Edit distance from "turmoil"

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 "turmoil"?
"turmoil" is spelled T-U-R-M-O-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɜːmɔɪl/.
What does "turmoil" mean?
As a noun, "turmoil" means: A state of great disorder or uncertainty.
What are common misspellings of "turmoil"?
Common misspellings include "trumoil", "tturmoil", "tumroil", "turmiol", "turmmoil". The correct spelling is "turmoil".
How do you pronounce "turmoil"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "turmoil" is /ˈtɜːmɔɪl/. 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 "turmoil"?
Unknown. First appears c. 1526. Perhaps from Old French tremouille (“the hopper of a mill”). 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 "turmoil", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tsunami#14,655tyranny#14,659Warwick#14,667spouses#14,638

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

angular10 variantsappendix10 variantsbarking10 variantsplatoon10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list