turn of phrase
"turn-of-phrase" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“turn of phrase” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 14
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An expression which is worded in a distinctive way, especially one which is particularly memorable or artful.
Corpus desk
Index EN-turn-of-phrase · turn of phrase · English
turn of phrase · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 14 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "T" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | turn of phrase |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 14 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “turn of phrase” in English
Rare enough to double-check
turn of phrase is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
turn of phrase has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: Compare trope, with same sense of turn to mean indirect language. The correct English form is turn of phrase, spelled T-U-R-N- -O-F- -P-H-R-A-S-E.
Definition
- 1An expression which is worded in a distinctive way, especially one which is particularly memorable or artful.
- 2A distinctive way of wording things, a distinctive way of writing or speaking.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how turn of phrase appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
"I should call it a most nice sort of surprise," remarked the girl with a quaintly un-English turn of phrase which he had already noticed and thought the most delightful thing in the world.
This author has a beautiful turn of phrase.
Etymology
Compare trope, with same sense of turn to mean indirect language.
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.