tambour

\tɑ̃.buʁ\

/\tɑ̃.buʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“tambour” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #12,265 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#12,265
frequency rank, French
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Caisse de forme cylindrique, dont les deux fonds sont formés de peaux tendues, sur l’une desquelles on frappe avec des baguettes pour en tirer des sons.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

tambour vs tombeur
71% similar
tambour vs tambours
88% similar
tambour vs tabou
71% similar

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

Key facts for tambour
PropertyValue
Headwordtambour
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\tɑ̃.buʁ\
Letters7
Frequency rank#12,265
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tambour” sits in French 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). tambour 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 French entry for tambour is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \tɑ̃.buʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #12,265 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 16 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for tambour, with forms such as "atmbour", "tabmour", and "tambbour". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "tombeur", "tambours", "tabou", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is tambour, spelled T-A-M-B-O-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Caisse de forme cylindrique, dont les deux fonds sont formés de peaux tendues, sur l’une desquelles on frappe avec des baguettes pour en tirer des sons.
  2. 2
    Celui dont la fonction est de battre du tambour.
  3. 3
    Sorte de mandoline dont la caisse est petite et le manche très long, en usage dans divers pays d'Afrique et du Proche-Orient. Il esn existe à deux à huit cordes.
  4. 4
    Petite enceinte de menuiserie, à doubles portes, placée aux principales entrées des édifices ou des grandes salles, pour empêcher le vent de pénétrer dans l’intérieur.
  5. 5
    Porte tournante fonctionnant sur le principe du tourniquet, subdivisée en plusieurs compartiments afin d’empêcher les courants d’air.
  6. 6
    Chambre servant à se déchausser en entrant dans une maison.
  7. 7
    Petite enceinte amovible en bois, en toile ou en tôle placée devant les portes en hiver pour empêcher la neige ou le vent d’entrer.
  8. 8
    Chacune des assises de pierres cylindriques qui composent le fût d’une colonne ou le noyau d’un escalier à vis.
  9. 9
    Toute pièce de forme cylindrique.
  10. 10
    Pièce métallique de machine à laver, de forme cylindrique, dans laquelle on place le linge.
  11. 11
    Gros cylindre sur lequel vient s’enrouler un câble.
  12. 12
    Conduit descendant d’une écoutille ou autre ouverture du pont pour descendre à un niveau inférieur.
  13. 13
    Cylindre sur lequel est roulée la corde ou la chaîne qui sert à remonter une horloge.
  14. 14
    Appareil de forme circulaire sur lequel est tendue une toile ou une étoffe pour exécuter différentes broderies.
  15. 15
    Serran hépate, poisson capable d'émettre une sorte de ronflement dû aux vibrations de sa vessie natatoire.
  16. 16
    Variété de pigeon ayant une aigrette sur la nuque et des plumes sur les pattes et dont le roucoulement est très fort.

This word in other languages

drum(English)tambor(Español)Trommel(Deutsch)tambor(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: atmbour,tabmour,tambbour,tamboru,tambourr,tambuor,tammbour,tamobur,tmabour,ttambour

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

atmbour2tabmour2tambbour1tamboru2tambourr1tambuor2tammbour1tamobur2
Edit distance from "tambour"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tambour"?
"tambour" is spelled T-A-M-B-O-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is \tɑ̃.buʁ\.
What does "tambour" mean?
As a noun, "tambour" means: Caisse de forme cylindrique, dont les deux fonds sont formés de peaux tendues, sur l’une desquelles on frappe avec des baguettes pour en tirer des sons.
What words are commonly confused with "tambour"?
"tambour" is commonly confused with "tombeur", "tambours", "tabou". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tambour"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tambour" is \tɑ̃.buʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "tambour" come from?
"tambour" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “tambour”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is T-A-M-B-O-U-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \tɑ̃.buʁ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “tombeur” - see the side-by-side comparison. tambour vs tombeur
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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