# tails vs taps

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### tails
*noun · IPA /teɪlz/ · frequency rank #11,622*
plural of tail

### taps
*noun · IPA /tæps/ · frequency rank #13,824*
A signal, by drum or trumpet, for extinguishing all lights in soldiers' quarters and retiring to bed, usually given about a quarter of an hour after tattoo; the signal is sometimes also given during the funeral of a soldier.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tails-vs-taps