tutelar

/ˈtjuːtələ/

//ˈtjuːtələ// adj

"tutelar" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tutelar” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Serving as a guardian; protective; tutelary.

Key facts for tutelar
PropertyValue
Headwordtutelar
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈtjuːtələ/
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tutelar” sits in English frequency

tutelar falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tutelar is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈtjuːtələ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Serving as a guardian; protective; tutelary.".

Zero misspellings are on record for tutelar in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin tūtelāris, from tūtēla (“tutelage, guardianship; dependent, client”) + -āris (suffix used to form an adjective, usually from a noun, indicating a relationship or a pertaining to). The correct English form is tutelar, spelled T-U-T-E-L-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Serving as a guardian; protective; tutelary.

Etymology

From Latin tūtelāris, from tūtēla (“tutelage, guardianship; dependent, client”) + -āris (suffix used to form an adjective, usually from a noun, indicating a relationship or a pertaining to).

Synonyms

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tutelar"?
"tutelar" is spelled T-U-T-E-L-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtjuːtələ/.
What does "tutelar" mean?
As an adjective, "tutelar" means: Serving as a guardian; protective; tutelary.
How do you pronounce "tutelar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tutelar" is /ˈtjuːtələ/. 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 "tutelar"?
From Latin tūtelāris, from tūtēla (“tutelage, guardianship; dependent, client”) + -āris (suffix used to form an adjective, usually from a noun, indicating a relationship or a pertaining to). 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 “tutelar”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is T-U-T-E-L-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈtjuːtələ/ (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
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list