backtalk
/ˈbæk.tɔːk/
"backtalk" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“backtalk” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Verbal impudence or argumentative discourse, given in response.
Corpus desk
Index EN-backtalk · backtalk · English
backtalk · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "B" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | backtalk |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈbæk.tɔːk/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “backtalk” in English
Rare enough to double-check
backtalk is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbæk.tɔːk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Verbal impudence or argumentative discourse, given in response.".
Zero misspellings are on record for backtalk in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From back + talk. The correct English form is backtalk, spelled B-A-C-K-T-A-L-K.
Definition
- 1Verbal impudence or argumentative discourse, given in response.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how backtalk appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Don't give me any backtalk; just go clean your room.
He scratched his head. "Well, damn me," said he. "I never thought I would take orders from a Chink, but he says 'hist!' and by crums you've got to hist and no back talk either."
Etymology
From back + talk.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.