talc

/tælk/

//tælk// noun

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

"talc" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“talc” is uncommon English (frequency #52,034 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,034
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Originally a large range of transparent or glistening foliated minerals. Examples include mica, selenite and the hydrated magnesium silicate that the term talc generally has referred to in modern t...

Corpus desk

Index EN-talc · talc · English

talc · rank #52,034 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #52,034
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tableware

Nearest frequency peer: tableware (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “talc”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “talc” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for talc
PropertyValue
Headwordtalc
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/tælk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#52,034
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “talc” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).talcfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “tableware” (#52,033), “tallis” (#52,035), “tapeworm” (#52,036). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “talc” is #52,034. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

talc is uncommon English at frequency #52,034 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /tælk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

talc has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French talc, from Arabic طَلْق (ṭalq), from Persian تلک (talk), from Middle Persian [Term?] (“medicament”). The correct English form is talc, spelled T-A-L-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Originally a large range of transparent or glistening foliated minerals. Examples include mica, selenite and the hydrated magnesium silicate that the term talc generally has referred to in modern times (see below). Also an item made of such a mineral and depending for its function on the special nature of the mineral (see next). Medieval writers adopted the term from the Arabic.
  2. 2
    A microscope slide made of a plate of mica, generally in use from the start of modern microscopy until the early nineteenth century, after which glass slides became the standard medium.
  3. 3
    A soft mineral, composed of hydrated magnesium silicate, that has a soapy feel and a greenish, whitish, or grayish color, and usually occurs in foliated masses.
  4. 4
    Talcum powder.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. M. [Antonie van] Leeuwenhoek fixed his objects, if they were ſolid, to the foregoing point with glue; if they were fluid, he fitted them on a little plate of talc, or exceeding thin blown glaſs, which he afterwards glued to the needle, in the ſame manner as his other objects.
  2. The abeer is often mixed with powdered talc to make it glitter, and then, if it gets into the eyes, it causes a good deal of pain.

Etymology

From Middle French talc, from Arabic طَلْق (ṭalq), from Persian تلک (talk), from Middle Persian [Term?] (“medicament”).

This word in other languages

talco(Español)talc(Français)Talk(Deutsch)talco(Português)

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 "talc"?
"talc" is spelled T-A-L-C. The IPA pronunciation is /tælk/.
What does "talc" mean?
As a noun, "talc" means: Originally a large range of transparent or glistening foliated minerals. Examples include mica, selenite and the hydrated magnesium silicate that the term talc generally has referred to in modern t...
How do you pronounce "talc"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "talc" is /tælk/. 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 "talc"?
From Middle French talc, from Arabic طَلْق (ṭalq), from Persian تلک (talk), from Middle Persian [Term?] (“medicament”). 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 "talc", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tish#52,049spry#52,016Tula#52,061smit#52,004

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list