tutu
/ˈtutu/noun, verb
tutu is spelled T-U-T-U: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,214th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, tutu means “A ballet skirt made of layered stiff but light netting” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tutu is tutus.
How many letters and syllables are in tutu?
| Letters | 4: T-U-T-U |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,214th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is tutu?
Tutu appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,214th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce tutu?
- US /ˈtutu/
- UK /ˈtuːtuː/
As a noun (“Any of certain members of genus Coriaria of shrubs and…”): [ˈtʉːˌtʉː].
As a verb (“to fiddle or mess around with something”): /ˈtʊtʉː/.
Tutu has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-tutu.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with tutu?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as tutu from its last stressed vowel (/utu/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of tutu
- tutus plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- tutuing participle, present
- tutued participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tutu mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A ballet skirt made of layered stiff but light netting.
The ballet dancer representing the swan wore a white tutu.
- 2
Any of certain members of genus Coriaria of shrubs and trees found in New Zealand, including Coriaria arborea and Coriaria pottsiana, used by the Maori to make a sweetener, but toxic when not properly prepared.
verb
- 1
to fiddle or mess around with something.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tutu in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense ballet skirt:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does tutu come from?
Borrowed from French tutu, from cucu (“bum, bottom”), playful reduplication of cul (“arse”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).