Tac or tack?
tac is a noun meaning “The drug cannabis”; tack is a noun meaning “A small nail with a flat head”. They sound the same (/tæk/). In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) tack is about as common as tac.
What is the difference between tac and tack?
| tac | tack | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun, adjective | noun, verb |
| Meaning | The clicking sound of a keyboard | A small nail with a flat head A thumbtack To nail (something) with a tack (small nail with a flat head) |
| Example | Darrell S. Mudd, The Boys of Chattahoochee: Sons of the Greatest Generation There were six tactical officers (TACs) in 95th Company, each… | to tack (something) onto (something) |
| Forms | tacs | tacks |
| Pronunciation | /tæk/ | /tæk/ |
| In writing | 1.9 times per million words | 2.3 times per million words |
Sources: tac and tack in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of tac and tack
tac
- 1
USAcronym of tactical air command
- 2
slangThe drug cannabis
- 3
The clicking sound of a keyboard
- 4
Abbreviation of tactical
- 5
USClipping of tactical officer
Darrell S. Mudd, The Boys of Chattahoochee: Sons of the Greatest Generation There were six tactical officers (TACs) in 95th Company, each in charge of a platoon of 40 officer…
- 6
Abbreviation of tacrolimus
tack
- 1
A small nail with a flat head
- 2
To nail (something) with a tack (small nail with a flat head)
- 3
A stain; a tache
- 4
colloquialThat which is tacky; something cheap and gaudy
- 5
ScotlandA contract by which the use of a thing is set, or let, for hire; a lease
- 6
A thumbtack
- 7
To sew/stitch with a tack (loose seam used to temporarily fasten pieces of cloth)
- 8
A loose seam used to temporarily fasten pieces of cloth
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, tac or tack?
tac appears 1.9 times per million words; tack 2.3 times per million words.
tac 1.9 times per million wordstack 2.3 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How many people search tac vs tack?
“tac vs tack” is searched about 40 times a month on Google and 10 on Bing in the United States. Google counts close variants of a query together (“tack vs tac”, “tac or tack”).
Sources: Google Ads keyword data through DataForSEO and Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, the average month from September 2025 to August 2026.