turn on
"turn-on" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“turn on” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To set a flow of fluid or gas running by rotating a tap or valve.
Corpus desk
Index EN-turn-on · turn on · English
turn on · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-2 2 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 on |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “turn on” in English
Rare enough to double-check
turn on is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 11 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for turn on in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is turn on, spelled T-U-R-N- -O-N.
Definition
- 1To set a flow of fluid or gas running by rotating a tap or valve.
- 2To power up, to put into operation, to start, to activate (an appliance, light, mechanism, functionality etc.).
- 3To start operating; to power up, to become on.
- 4To introduce (someone to something), and especially to fill them with enthusiasm (about it); to intoxicate, give pleasure to ( + to an object of interest or excitement).
- 5To sexually arouse.
- 6To take drugs.
- 7To cause to take up drugs, especially hallucinogens.
- 8To aim at.
- 9To rebel against; to suddenly attack.
- 10To cause (someone) to rebel against or suddenly attack (someone else).
- 11To depend upon; to pivot around, to have as a central subject.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how turn on appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Turn on the tap/faucet.
Please turn the lights on so I can see what I'm reading.
Synonyms
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.