typo

/ˈtaɪpəʊ/

//ˈtaɪpəʊ// noun

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

"typo" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“typo” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,726. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,726
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-typo · typo · English

typo · rank #19,726 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,726
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH Turk

Nearest frequency peer: Turk (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “typo”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “typo” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

typo vs Tyr
25% similar
typo vs tyre
50% similar
typo vs Tyson
40% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for typo
PropertyValue
Headwordtypo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtaɪpəʊ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#19,726
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “typo”

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).typolands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Turk” (#19,725), “unequal” (#19,727), “Tudor” (#19,724). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “typo” is #19,726. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around typo (IPA /ˈtaɪpəʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,726 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A typographical error.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for typo, with forms such as "tpyo", "ttypo", and "tyop". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Tyr", "tyre", "Tyson", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Clipping of typographical error. The correct English form is typo, spelled T-Y-P-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A typographical error.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Near-synonyms: misprint; slip of the pen, lapsus calami, lapsus plumæ
  2. Sorry, I meant to say “buy a SODA”—“sofa” was a typo.

Etymology

Clipping of typographical error.

This word in other languages

gazapo(Español)coquille(Français)Tippfehler(Deutsch)gralha(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • tpyo
  • ttypo
  • tyop
  • typpo
  • tyypo
  • ytpo

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of typo - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

tpyo2ttypo1tyop2typpo1tyypo1ytpo2
Edit distance from "typo"

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 "typo"?
"typo" is spelled T-Y-P-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtaɪpəʊ/.
What does "typo" mean?
As a noun, "typo" means: A typographical error.
What words are commonly confused with "typo"?
"typo" is commonly confused with "Tyr", "tyre", "Tyson". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "typo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "typo" is /ˈtaɪpəʊ/. 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 "typo"?
Clipping of typographical error. 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 "typo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Turk#19,725welp#19,739writ#19,743xiao#19,744

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

taper6 variantsCassie6 variantschilli6 variantspiggy6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list