tween
/twiːn/preposition, noun, verb, adjective
tween is spelled T-W-E-E-N: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,320th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a preposition, tween means “Alternative spelling of 'tween” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in tween?
| Letters | 5: T-W-E-E-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 35,320th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is tween?
Tween appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,320th 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 tween?
- /twiːn/
Tween has one syllable (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-tween.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of tween
- 'tweens present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- 'tweening participle, present
- 'tweened participle, past
- more 'tween comparative
- most 'tween superlative
- tweens plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- tweening participle, present
- tweened participle, past
- 'tween
- more tween comparative
- most tween superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tween mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
preposition
- 1
Alternative spelling of 'tween.
noun
- 1
An action of tweening (inserting frames for continuity); a sequence of frames generated by tweening.
- 2
A child, especially a girl, in the age range between middle childhood and adolescence, normally between eight and thirteen years of age.
Next stop on the worthless train is the tweens who range from ages ten to thirteen years old. The tweens are so damn annoying, they make me want to jump off a cliff.
- 3
rareA number or age in the twenties (plural only), or a person of that age.
And although Mums don't always control the purse strings of the tweens (the younger set in their twenties), they are not entirely a forgotten influence.
verb
- 1
To generate intermediate frames in an animated sequence so as to give the appearance of smooth movement.
adjective
- 1
Of or relating to tweenagers.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does tween come from?
Clipping of in between.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).