taboo
/təˈbuː/noun, adjective, verb
taboo is spelled T-A-B-O-O: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,613th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, taboo means “An inhibition or ban that results from social custom or emotional aversion” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of taboo is taboos.
How many letters and syllables are in taboo?
| Letters | 5: T-A-B-O-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.0 times per million words; the 15,613th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is taboo?
Taboo appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,613th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce taboo?
- UK /təˈbuː/
- UK /tæˈbuː/
- /ˈʈæ.bu/
Taboo has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-taboo.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with taboo
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with taboo?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as taboo from its last stressed vowel (/u/, British pronunciation):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: aboot.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of taboo
- taboos plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- tabu
- tapu
- more taboo comparative
- most taboo superlative
- tabooing participle, present
- tabooed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does taboo mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An inhibition or ban that results from social custom or emotional aversion.
- 2
Something which may not be used, approached or mentioned because it is sacred.
adjective
- 1
Excluded or forbidden from use, approach or mention.
Incest is a taboo subject in most soap operas.
- 2
Culturally forbidden.
verb
- 1
To mark as taboo.
- 2
To ban or prohibit.
- 3
To avoid.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Taboo in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does taboo come from?
Borrowed from Tongan tapu (“prohibited, sacred”), from Proto-Polynesian *tapu, from Proto-Oceanic *tabu, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *tambu. Doublet of kapu. First attested in c. 1777. The p in the Tongan source was misheard as b.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).