turner

/ˈtɝ.nɚ/

//ˈtɝ.nɚ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“turner” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,279. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,279
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who or that which turns.

Corpus desk

Index EN-turner · turner · English

turner · rank #5,279 · 9 variants · 19 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,279
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 19 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH uncomfortable

Nearest frequency peer: uncomfortable (+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 “turner”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “turner” 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).

turner vs turns
67% similar
turner vs turret
67% similar
turner vs turnip
67% similar

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

Key facts for turner
PropertyValue
Headwordturner
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɝ.nɚ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#5,279
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “turner”

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).turnerlands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “uncomfortable” (#5,280), “trace” (#5,277), “wasted” (#5,281). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “turner” is #5,279. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around turner (IPA /ˈtɝ.nɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,279 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for turner, with forms such as "truner", "tturner", and "tunrer". 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 19 confusable-pair relationships, "turns", "turret", "turnip", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English turner, torner, tornere, turnere, turnare, equivalent to turn + -er. Also from Middle English turnour, tornour, tournour, turnoure, from Old French tornour, tourneour, tourneur, tornëor (“one who fashions something by turning”). The correct English form is turner, spelled T-U-R-N-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who or that which turns.
  2. 2
    A person who turns and shapes wood etc. on a lathe.
  3. 3
    A kitchen utensil used for turning food.
  4. 4
    A variety of pigeon; a tumbler.
  5. 5
    A very dry pitch on which the ball will turn with ease.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Everyone kept turning around and craning their necks to look at the gaps, and Miss Griffin gave all the turners and craners paralyzing stares whenever she caught their eye.

Etymology

From Middle English turner, torner, tornere, turnere, turnare, equivalent to turn + -er. Also from Middle English turnour, tornour, tournour, turnoure, from Old French tornour, tourneour, tourneur, tornëor (“one who fashions something by turning”).

This word in other languages

tornero(Español)tourneur(Français)Dreher(Deutsch)torneiro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • truner
  • tturner
  • tunrer
  • turenr
  • turnerr
  • turnner
  • turnre
  • turrner
  • utrner

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

truner2tturner1tunrer2turenr2turnerr1turnner1turnre2turrner1
Edit distance from "turner"

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 "turner"?
"turner" is spelled T-U-R-N-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɝ.nɚ/.
What does "turner" mean?
As a noun, "turner" means: One who or that which turns.
What words are commonly confused with "turner"?
"turner" is commonly confused with "turns", "turret", "turnip". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "turner"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "turner" is /ˈtɝ.nɚ/. 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 "turner"?
From Middle English turner, torner, tornere, turnere, turnare, equivalent to turn + -er. Also from Middle English turnour, tornour, tournour, turnoure, from Old French tornour, tourneour, tourneur, tornëor (“one who fashions something by turning”). 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 "turner", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

wasted#5,281slaves#5,266Samuel#5,261routes#5,260

Similar misspelling depth

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

spotted9 variantsbattles9 variantscancel9 variantscarpet9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list