tailcoat

/ˈteɪlkoʊt/

//ˈteɪlkoʊt// noun

"tailcoat" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tailcoat” 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) - A formal evening jacket with an extended back panel; a dress coat.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tailcoat · tailcoat · English

tailcoat · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "T" 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.

Key facts for tailcoat
PropertyValue
Headwordtailcoat
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈteɪlkoʊt/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “tailcoat” in English

tailcoatranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tailcoat is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈteɪlkoʊt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for tailcoat in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From tail + coat. The correct English form is tailcoat, spelled T-A-I-L-C-O-A-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A formal evening jacket with an extended back panel; a dress coat.
  2. 2
    Any coat with similar tails.

Etymology

From tail + coat.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tailcoat"?
"tailcoat" is spelled T-A-I-L-C-O-A-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈteɪlkoʊt/.
What does "tailcoat" mean?
As a noun, "tailcoat" means: A formal evening jacket with an extended back panel; a dress coat.
How do you pronounce "tailcoat"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tailcoat" is /ˈteɪlkoʊt/. 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 "tailcoat"?
From tail + coat. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list