tétum

/ˈtɛ.tũ/

//ˈtɛ.tũ// noun

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

The verdict

“tétum” is uncommon Portuguese (frequency #58,842 among 1,850 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#58,842
frequency rank, Portuguese
1,850
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - língua malaio-polinésia falada no Timor-Leste (código de língua ISO 639-3: tet)

Key facts for tétum
PropertyValue
Headwordtétum
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɛ.tũ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#58,842
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tétum” sits in Portuguese 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). tétum lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tétum is uncommon Portuguese at frequency #58,842 among 1,850 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtɛ.tũ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "língua malaio-polinésia falada no Timor-Leste (código de língua ISO 639-3: tet)".

No misspelling variants are generated for tétum in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular Portuguese conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct Portuguese form is tétum, spelled T-É-T-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    língua malaio-polinésia falada no Timor-Leste (código de língua ISO 639-3: tet)

Synonyms

teto

This word in other languages

Tetum(English)tetun(Español)tétoum(Français)Tetum(Deutsch)

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tétum"?
"tétum" is spelled T-É-T-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɛ.tũ/.
What does "tétum" mean?
As a noun, "tétum" means: língua malaio-polinésia falada no Timor-Leste (código de língua ISO 639-3: tet)
How do you pronounce "tétum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tétum" is /ˈtɛ.tũ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "tétum" come from?
"tétum" is a Portuguese 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 “tétum”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is T-É-T-U-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈtɛ.tũ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more Portuguese words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Portuguese words

Other uncommon Portuguese words near this rank

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