time

noun

The verdict

“time” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #4,194 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,194
frequency rank, French
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Temps.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

time vs TM
0% similar
time vs tué
25% similar
time vs tom
50% similar

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

Key facts for time
PropertyValue
Headwordtime
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
Letters4
Frequency rank#4,194
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “time” 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). time 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 time is 4 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #4,194 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Temps.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for time, with forms such as "itme", "tiem", and "timme". 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, "TM", "tué", "tom", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is time, spelled T-I-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Temps.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: itme,tiem,timme,tmie,ttime

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of time - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

itme2tiem2timme1tmie2ttime1
Edit distance from "time"

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 "time"?
"time" is spelled T-I-M-E.
What does "time" mean?
As a noun, "time" means: Temps.
What words are commonly confused with "time"?
"time" is commonly confused with "TM", "tué", "tom". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What language does "time" come from?
"time" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “time”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is T-I-M-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “TM” - see the side-by-side comparison. time vs TM
  • 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