turnstile

Name: turnstile, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈtɜːnstaɪl/

//ˈtɜːnstaɪl// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“turnstile” is uncommon English (frequency #60,528 among 27,828 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,528
frequency rank, English: 27,828
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A rotating mechanical device that controls and counts passage between public areas, especially one that only allows passage after a charge has been paid.

Key facts for turnstile
Property	Value
Headword	turnstile
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈtɜːnstaɪl/
Letters	9
Frequency rank	#60,528
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “turnstile” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). turnstile lands here:

#60,528

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

turnstile is uncommon English at frequency #60,528 among 27,828 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtɜːnstaɪl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

turnstile doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From turn + stile. The correct English form is turnstile, spelled T-U-R-N-S-T-I-L-E.

Definition

1
A rotating mechanical device that controls and counts passage between public areas, especially one that only allows passage after a charge has been paid.
2
A similar device in a footpath to allow people through one at a time while preventing the passage of cattle.
3
The ⊢ symbol used to represent logical entailment (deducibility relation), especially of the syntactic type; i.e., syntactic consequence. (Such symbol can be read as "prove(s)" or "give(s)". )

Etymology

From turn + stile.

This word in other languages

molinete(Español)tourniquet(Français)Drehkreuz(Deutsch)borboleta(Português)

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 "turnstile"?

"turnstile" is spelled T-U-R-N-S-T-I-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɜːnstaɪl/.

What does "turnstile" mean?

As a noun, "turnstile" means: A rotating mechanical device that controls and counts passage between public areas, especially one that only allows passage after a charge has been paid.

How do you pronounce "turnstile"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "turnstile" is /ˈtɜːnstaɪl/. 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 "turnstile"?

From turn + stile. 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.

Using “turnstile”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is T-U-R-N-S-T-I-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈtɜːnstaɪl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.