type
/taɪp/noun, verb, adverb
type is spelled T-Y-P-E: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 186 times per million words in written English, the 546th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, type means “A grouping based on shared characteristics; a class” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of type is types.
How many letters and syllables are in type?
| Letters | 4: T-Y-P-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 186 times per million words; the 546th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is type?
Type appears 186 times per million words in written English, the 546th 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 type?
- /taɪp/
Type has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-type.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of type
- types plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- typing participle, present
- typed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does type mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A grouping based on shared characteristics; a class.
This type of plane can handle rough weather more easily than that type of plane.
- 2
An individual considered typical of its class, one regarded as typifying a certain profession, environment, etc.
- 3
An individual that represents the ideal for its class; an embodiment.
- 4
Such types collectively, or a set of type of one font or size.
- 5
Text printed with such type, or imitating its characteristics.
The headline was set in bold type.
- 6
Something, often a specimen, selected as an objective anchor to connect a scientific name to a taxon; this need not be representative or typical.
- 7
Preferred sort of person; sort of person that one is attracted to.
We can't get along: he's just not my type.
- 8
A blood group.
verb
- 1
To put text on paper using a typewriter.
- 2
To enter text or commands into a computer using a keyboard.
- 3
To determine the blood type of.
The doctor ordered the lab to type the patient for a blood transfusion.
- 4
To represent by a type, model, or symbol beforehand; to prefigure.
- 5
To furnish an expression or copy of; to represent; to typify.
- 6
To categorize into types.
adverb
- 1
rareslangVery, extremely.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Type in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | type, genre , caractère , style , taper, dactylographier |
| German | Art, Typ , Letter, Type , tippen , Typus |
| Portuguese | tipo, gênero, espécie , digitar , tipar |
| Spanish | índole, jaez, rubro, estofa , arquetipo , tipo |
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 type come from?
From Middle English type (“symbol, figure, emblem”), from Latin typus, from Ancient Greek τύπος (túpos, “mark, impression, type”), from τύπτω (túptō, “to strike, beat”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).