twelve

/twɛlv/

//twɛlv// num

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

"twelve" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“twelve” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,990 in English word frequency and used as a numeral.

#3,990
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The cardinal number occurring after eleven and before thirteen, represented in Arabic numerals as 12 and in Roman numerals as XII.

Key facts for twelve
PropertyValue
Headwordtwelve
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNumeral
IPA/twɛlv/
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,990
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “twelve” 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). twelve lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for twelve is 6 letters long, classified as a numeral, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /twɛlv/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,990 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "The cardinal number occurring after eleven and before thirteen, represented in Arabic numerals as 12 and in Roman numerals as XII.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for twelve, with forms such as "tewlve", "ttwelve", and "twelev". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English twelve, from Old English twelf (“twelve”), from Proto-Germanic *twalif, an old compound of *twa- (“two”) and *-lif (“left over”) (i.e., two left over after having already counted to ten), from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“leave, remain”)… The correct English form is twelve, spelled T-W-E-L-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The cardinal number occurring after eleven and before thirteen, represented in Arabic numerals as 12 and in Roman numerals as XII.

Etymology

From Middle English twelve, from Old English twelf (“twelve”), from Proto-Germanic *twalif, an old compound of *twa- (“two”) and *-lif (“left over”) (i.e., two left over after having already counted to ten), from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“leave, remain”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian tweelf, tweelif, tweelich (“twelve”), West Frisian tolve (“twelve”), Dutch twaalf (“twelve”), German Low German twalf, twalv (“twelve”), German zwölf (“twelve”), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian tolv (“twelve”), Icelandic tólf (“twelve”).

Synonyms

twelveteen

This word in other languages

doce(Español)douze(Français)zwölf(Deutsch)doze(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: tewlve,ttwelve,twelev,twellve,twelvve,twevle,twleve,twwelve,wtelve

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of twelve - 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.

tewlve2ttwelve1twelev2twellve1twelvve1twevle2twleve2twwelve1
Edit distance from "twelve"

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 "twelve"?
"twelve" is spelled T-W-E-L-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /twɛlv/.
What does "twelve" mean?
As a numeral, "twelve" means: The cardinal number occurring after eleven and before thirteen, represented in Arabic numerals as 12 and in Roman numerals as XII.
What are common misspellings of "twelve"?
Common misspellings include "tewlve", "ttwelve", "twelev", "twellve", "twelvve". The correct spelling is "twelve".
How do you pronounce "twelve"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "twelve" is /twɛlv/. 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 "twelve"?
From Middle English twelve, from Old English twelf (“twelve”), from Proto-Germanic *twalif, an old compound of *twa- (“two”) and *-lif (“left over”) (i.e., two left over after having already counted to ten), from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“leave... 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 “twelve”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is T-W-E-L-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /twɛlv/ (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list