tympanum

/ˈtɪm.pən.əm/

//ˈtɪm.pən.əm// noun

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

"tympanum" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tympanum” is uncommon English (frequency #81,930 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#81,930
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A drum.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tympanum · tympanum · English

tympanum · rank #81,930 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #81,930
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH typewritten

Nearest frequency peer: typewritten (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “tympanum”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “tympanum” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for tympanum
PropertyValue
Headwordtympanum
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɪm.pən.əm/
Letters8
Frequency rank#81,930
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “tympanum” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).tympanumfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “typewritten” (#81,931), “twaddle” (#81,928), “Udine” (#81,934). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tympanum” is #81,930. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tympanum is uncommon English at frequency #81,930 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtɪm.pən.əm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 9 senses are on record.

tympanum has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin tympanum (“a drum, timbrel, tambourine; the eardrum”). Doublet of timbre, timpani, timbal, and tymbal. The correct English form is tympanum, spelled T-Y-M-P-A-N-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A drum.
  2. 2
    Any of various anatomic structures in various animals with analogy to a drum head:
  3. 3
    Any of various anatomic structures in various animals with analogy to a drum head:
  4. 4
    Any of various anatomic structures in various animals with analogy to a drum head:
  5. 5
    Any of various anatomic structures in various animals with analogy to a drum head:
  6. 6
    Any of various anatomic structures in various animals with analogy to a drum head:
  7. 7
    A vertical recessed triangular space between the sides of a pediment, typically decorated.
  8. 8
    A vertical recessed triangular space between the sides of a pediment, typically decorated.
  9. 9
    A drum-shaped wheel with spirally curved partitions by which water is raised to the axis when the wheel revolves with the lower part of the circumference submerged; used for raising water, as for irrigation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. When he came around, the star sound was gone. The ringing it left in his tympana was a great confusion.
  2. It was a black-and-white picture of a Romanesque doorway, with flanking saints and a lively Last Judgement in the tympanum […].

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin tympanum (“a drum, timbrel, tambourine; the eardrum”). Doublet of timbre, timpani, timbal, and tymbal.

This word in other languages

tímpano(Português)

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 "tympanum"?
"tympanum" is spelled T-Y-M-P-A-N-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɪm.pən.əm/.
What does "tympanum" mean?
As a noun, "tympanum" means: A drum.
How do you pronounce "tympanum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tympanum" is /ˈtɪm.pən.əm/. 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 "tympanum"?
Borrowed from Latin tympanum (“a drum, timbrel, tambourine; the eardrum”). Doublet of timbre, timpani, timbal, and tymbal. 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 "tympanum", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

unmoving#81,940upcycled#81,943Tientsin#81,903Voronezh#81,966

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list