type
/taɪp/
"type" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“type” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #546 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #546
- frequency rank, English
- 4
- letters
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A grouping based on shared characteristics; a class.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | type |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /taɪp/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #546 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “type” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for type is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /taɪp/. Corpus data places it at rank #546 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 15 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for type, with forms such as "tpye", "ttype", and "tyep". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Tyr", "tyre", "typo", 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 type (“symbol, figure, emblem”), from Latin typus, from Ancient Greek τύπος (túpos, “mark, impression, type”), from τύπτω (túptō, “I strike, beat”). The correct English form is type, spelled T-Y-P-E.
Definition
- 1A grouping based on shared characteristics; a class.
- 2An individual considered typical of its class, one regarded as typifying a certain profession, environment, etc.
- 3An individual that represents the ideal for its class; an embodiment.
- 4A letter or character used for printing, historically a cast or engraved block.
- 5A letter or character used for printing, historically a cast or engraved block.
- 6Something, often a specimen, selected as an objective anchor to connect a scientific name to a taxon; this need not be representative or typical.
- 7Preferred sort of person; sort of person that one is attracted to.
- 8A blood group.
- 9A word that occurs in a text or corpus irrespective of how many times it occurs, as opposed to a token.
- 10An event or person that prefigures or foreshadows a later event - commonly an Old Testament event linked to Christian times.
- 11A tag attached to variables and values used in determining which kinds of value can be used in which situations.
- 12The original object, or class of objects, scene, face, or conception, which becomes the subject of a copy; especially, the design on the face of a medal or a coin.
- 13A simple compound, used as a mode or pattern to which other compounds are conveniently regarded as being related, and from which they may be actually or theoretically derived.
- 14A part of the partition of the object domain of a logical theory (which due to the existence of such partition, would be called a typed theory). (Note: this corresponds to the notion of "data type" in computing theory.)
- 15A symbol, emblem, or example of something.
Etymology
From Middle English type (“symbol, figure, emblem”), from Latin typus, from Ancient Greek τύπος (túpos, “mark, impression, type”), from τύπτω (túptō, “I strike, beat”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: tpye,ttype,tyep,typpe,tyype,ytpe
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of type - 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.
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
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Using “type”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is T-Y-P-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /taɪp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Tyr” - see the side-by-side comparison. type vs Tyr
- 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.