# tarmac vs tartan

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### tarmac
*noun · IPA /ˈtɑː(ɹ)mæk/ · frequency rank #27,675*
Tarmacadam.

### tartan
*noun · IPA /ˈtɑːt(ə)n/ · frequency rank #32,617*
Woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders, now with different clans (though this only dates from the late 18th century) and some Scottish families and institutions having their own patterns; (countable) a particular type of such fabric.

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