turnip
/ˈtɜː.nɪp/
"turnip" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“turnip” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #35,562 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #35,562
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 11
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The white root of a yellow-flowered plant, Brassica rapa, grown as a vegetable and as fodder for cattle.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | turnip |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈtɜː.nɪp/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #35,562 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 11 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “turnip” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for turnip is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈtɜː.nɪp/. Corpus data places it at rank #35,562 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for turnip, with forms such as "trunip", "tturnip", and "tunrip". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "turns", "turn", "trip", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English turnepe, probably from turn + Middle English nepe, from Old English nǣp, from Latin nāpus. The component turn may be due to the round shape of the plant as though turned on a lathe, or because it must be turned and twisted to be harveste… The correct English form is turnip, spelled T-U-R-N-I-P.
Definition
- 1The white root of a yellow-flowered plant, Brassica rapa, grown as a vegetable and as fodder for cattle.
- 2The yellow root of a related plant, the swede or Brassica napus.
- 3The white root of Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus, also known as a daikon.
- 4The root of the yam bean, Pachyrhizus erosus; jicama.
- 5Clipping of turnip watch
- 6A fool or simpleton.
Etymology
From Middle English turnepe, probably from turn + Middle English nepe, from Old English nǣp, from Latin nāpus. The component turn may be due to the round shape of the plant as though turned on a lathe, or because it must be turned and twisted to be harvested. Cognate to neep. See also parsnip.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: trunip,tturnip,tunrip,turinp,turnipp,turnnip,turnpi,turrnip,utrnip
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of turnip - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "turnip"?
What does "turnip" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "turnip"?
How do you pronounce "turnip"?
What is the origin of the word "turnip"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “turnip”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is T-U-R-N-I-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈtɜː.nɪp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “turns” - see the side-by-side comparison. turnip vs turns
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.