# tacky vs tardy

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### tacky
*adjective · IPA /ˈtæki/ · frequency rank #23,121*
Of a substance, slightly sticky.

### tardy
*adjective · IPA /ˈtɑːdi/ · frequency rank #42,446*
Late; overdue or delayed.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tacky-vs-tardy