tacky

/ˈtæki/

//ˈtæki// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"tacky" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tacky” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,121. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,121
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of a substance, slightly sticky.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tacky · tacky · English

tacky · rank #23,121 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,121
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH Tamara

Nearest frequency peer: Tamara (+1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “tacky”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “tacky” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

tacky vs tak
60% similar
tacky vs tay
60% similar
tacky vs take
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for tacky
PropertyValue
Headwordtacky
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈtæki/
Letters5
Frequency rank#23,121
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tacky”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).tackylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Tamara” (#23,122), “tampering” (#23,123), “Sulphur” (#23,118). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tacky” is #23,121. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around tacky (IPA /ˈtæki/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #23,121 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Of a substance, slightly sticky.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for tacky, with forms such as "atcky", "taccky", and "tackky". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "tak", "tay", "take", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From tack + -y. The correct English form is tacky, spelled T-A-C-K-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of a substance, slightly sticky.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how tacky appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. This paint isn't dry yet; it's still a bit tacky.

Etymology

From tack + -y.

This word in other languages

pegajoso(Español)collant(Français)klebrig(Deutsch)pegajoso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • atcky
  • taccky
  • tackky
  • tackyy
  • tacyk
  • takcy
  • tcaky
  • ttacky

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tacky - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

atcky2taccky1tackky1tackyy1tacyk2takcy2tcaky2ttacky1
Edit distance from "tacky"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tacky"?
"tacky" is spelled T-A-C-K-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtæki/.
What does "tacky" mean?
As an adjective, "tacky" means: Of a substance, slightly sticky.
What words are commonly confused with "tacky"?
"tacky" is commonly confused with "tak", "tay", "take". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tacky"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tacky" is /ˈtæki/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "tacky"?
From tack + -y. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "tacky", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Tessa#23,127Texan#23,129spelt#23,111tulip#23,137

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Tamara8 variantssoothe8 variantsslant8 variantsshaggy8 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list