Tail or tale?
tail is a noun meaning “The caudal appendage of an animal that is attached to their posterior and near…”; tale is a noun meaning “A rehearsal of what has occurred; narrative; discourse; statement; history…”. They sound the same (/ˈteɪ̯l/). In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) tail is about as common as tale.
What is the difference between tail and tale?
| tail | tale | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun, verb, adjective | noun, verb |
| Meaning | The caudal appendage of an animal that is attached to their posterior and near the anus or cloaca An object or part of an object resembling a tail in shape, such as the thongs on a cat-o'-nine-tails; a strand of material hanging from something To hold by the end; said of a timber when it rests upon a wall or other support; with in or into | A rehearsal of what has occurred; narrative; discourse; statement; history; story A number told or counted off; a reckoning by count; an enumeration ScotlandTo reckon; consider (someone) to have something |
| Example | Most primates have a tail and fangs | the Canterbury Tales |
| Forms | tails | tales |
| Pronunciation | /ˈteɪ̯l/ [ˈtʰeɪ̯l] /ˈteːl/ | /ˈteɪl/ [ˈtʰeɪ̯ɫ] /ˈtæɪ̯l/ |
| In writing | 22 times per million words | 19 times per million words |
Sources: tail and tale 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 tail and tale
tail
- 1
The caudal appendage of an animal that is attached to their posterior and near the anus or cloaca
Most primates have a tail and fangs
- 2
To hold by the end; said of a timber when it rests upon a wall or other support; with in or into
- 3
Limited; abridged; reduced; curtailed
estate tail
- 4
Limitation of inheritance to certain heirs
tail male
- 5
An object or part of an object resembling a tail in shape, such as the thongs on a cat-o'-nine-tails; a strand of material hanging from something
- 6
To swing with the stern in a certain direction; said of a vessel at anchor
This vessel tails downstream
- 7
The back, last, lower, or inferior part of anything
- 8
To follow or hang to, like a tail; to be attached closely to, as that which can not be evaded
tale
- 1
A rehearsal of what has occurred; narrative; discourse; statement; history; story
the Canterbury Tales
- 2
ScotlandTo reckon; consider (someone) to have something
- 3
Alternative form of tael
- 4
A number told or counted off; a reckoning by count; an enumeration
- 5
slangThe fraudulent opportunity presented by a confidence man to the mark or victim
- 6
An account of an asserted fact or circumstance; a rumour; a report, especially an idle or malicious story; a piece of gossip or slander; a lie
Don't tell tales!
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, tail or tale?
tail appears 22 times per million words; tale 19 times per million words.
tail 22 times per million wordstale 19 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 tail vs tale?
“tail vs tale” is searched about 480 times a month on Google and 20 on Bing in the United States. Google counts close variants of a query together (“tale vs tail”, “tail or tale”).
Sources: Google Ads keyword data through DataForSEO and Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, the average month from September 2025 to August 2026.