taiko

/ˈtaɪkəʊ/

//ˈtaɪkəʊ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“taiko” is uncommon English (frequency #72,811 among 27,828 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,811
frequency rank, English
27,828
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A traditional drum, beaten by yobidashi to announce the beginning of a tournament, and at the end of each day

Key facts for taiko
PropertyValue
Headwordtaiko
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtaɪkəʊ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#72,811
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “taiko” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

taiko is uncommon English at frequency #72,811 among 27,828 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtaɪkəʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for taiko in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Japanese 太鼓 (たいこ taiko), from 太 (tʰàj, “great”) + 鼓 (kú, “drum”). The correct English form is taiko, spelled T-A-I-K-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A traditional drum, beaten by yobidashi to announce the beginning of a tournament, and at the end of each day
  2. 2
    A Japanese drum or a performance of several drummers in an ensemble (also called kumi-daiko).

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 太鼓 (たいこ taiko), from 太 (tʰàj, “great”) + 鼓 (kú, “drum”).

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 "taiko"?
"taiko" is spelled T-A-I-K-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtaɪkəʊ/.
What does "taiko" mean?
As a noun, "taiko" means: A traditional drum, beaten by yobidashi to announce the beginning of a tournament, and at the end of each day
How do you pronounce "taiko"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "taiko" is /ˈtaɪkəʊ/. 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 "taiko"?
Borrowed from Japanese 太鼓 (たいこ taiko), from 太 (tʰàj, “great”) + 鼓 (kú, “drum”). 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.

Using “taiko”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is T-A-I-K-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈtaɪkəʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list