tutor

/ˈtutɚ/

//ˈtutɚ// noun

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

"tutor" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tutor” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,817. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,817
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who teaches another (usually called a student, learner, or tutee) in a one-on-one or small-group interaction.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tutor · tutor · English

tutor · rank #11,817 · 7 variants · 19 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,817
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 19 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tuning

Nearest frequency peer: tuning (-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 “tutor”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tutor” 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).

tutor vs tutu
60% similar
tutor vs tutti
60% similar
tutor vs Tutsi
40% similar

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

Key facts for tutor
PropertyValue
Headwordtutor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtutɚ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#11,817
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tutor”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).tutorlands 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 “tuning” (#11,816), “unsafe” (#11,818), “TS” (#11,815). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tutor” is #11,817. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around tutor (IPA /ˈtutɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,817 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for tutor, with forms such as "ttuor", "ttutor", and "tuotr". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 19 confusable-pair relationships, "tutu", "tutti", "Tutsi", 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 tutour, from Old French tuteur (French tuteur), from Latin tūtor (“a watcher, protector, guardian”), from tueor (“protect”); see tuition. The correct English form is tutor, spelled T-U-T-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who teaches another (usually called a student, learner, or tutee) in a one-on-one or small-group interaction.
  2. 2
    A university officer responsible for students in a particular hall.
  3. 3
    A homeroom.
  4. 4
    One who has the charge of a child or pupil and his estate; a guardian.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. He passed the difficult class with help from his tutor.

Etymology

From Middle English tutour, from Old French tuteur (French tuteur), from Latin tūtor (“a watcher, protector, guardian”), from tueor (“protect”); see tuition.

Synonyms

preceptor

This word in other languages

tutor(Español)Lehrer(Deutsch)tutor(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ttuor
  • ttutor
  • tuotr
  • tutorr
  • tutro
  • tuttor
  • uttor

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tutor - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ttuor2ttutor1tuotr2tutorr1tutro2tuttor1uttor2
Edit distance from "tutor"

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 "tutor"?
"tutor" is spelled T-U-T-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtutɚ/.
What does "tutor" mean?
As a noun, "tutor" means: One who teaches another (usually called a student, learner, or tutee) in a one-on-one or small-group interaction.
What words are commonly confused with "tutor"?
"tutor" is commonly confused with "tutu", "tutti", "Tutsi". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tutor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tutor" is /ˈtutɚ/. 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 "tutor"?
From Middle English tutour, from Old French tuteur (French tuteur), from Latin tūtor (“a watcher, protector, guardian”), from tueor (“protect”); see tuition. 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 "tutor", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

verge#11,819yeast#11,824Abdul#11,827Aston#11,837

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Torres7 variantsassign7 variantssnail7 variantsnoisy7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list