talent

/ˈtælənt/

//ˈtælənt// noun

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

"talent" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“talent” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,318. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,318
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A marked natural ability or skill.

Corpus desk

Index EN-talent · talent · English

talent · rank #2,318 · 9 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,318
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH strange

Nearest frequency peer: strange (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “talent”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “talent” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

talent vs tent
67% similar
talent vs tales
67% similar
talent vs Trent
50% similar

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

Key facts for talent
PropertyValue
Headwordtalent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtælənt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,318
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “talent” 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). talent lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around talent (IPA /ˈtælənt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,318 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for talent, with forms such as "atlent", "taelnt", and "talennt". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "tent", "tales", "Trent", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English talent, from Old English talente, borrowed from the plural of Latin talentum (“a Grecian weight; a talent of money”), from Ancient Greek τάλαντον (tálanton, “balance, a particular weight, especially of gold, sum of money, a talent”). Com… The correct English form is talent, spelled T-A-L-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A marked natural ability or skill.
  2. 2
    A unit of weight and money used in ancient times in Greece, the Roman Empire, and the Middle East, equal to about 30 to 60 kg in various times and places.
  3. 3
    A desire or inclination for something.
  4. 4
    People of talent, viewed collectively; a talented person.
  5. 5
    The men or (especially) women of a place or area, judged by their attractiveness.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Feel awfully about Scott... I always knew he couldn't think—he never could—but he had a marvelous talent and the thing is to use it—not whine in public.
  2. He has a real talent for drawing.

Etymology

From Middle English talent, from Old English talente, borrowed from the plural of Latin talentum (“a Grecian weight; a talent of money”), from Ancient Greek τάλαντον (tálanton, “balance, a particular weight, especially of gold, sum of money, a talent”). Compare Old High German talenta (“talent”). Later figurative senses are from Old French talent (“talent, will, inclination, desire”), derived from the biblical Parable of the Talents.

This word in other languages

talento(Español)talent(Français)Talent(Deutsch)talento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • atlent
  • taelnt
  • talennt
  • talentt
  • taletn
  • tallent
  • talnet
  • tlaent
  • ttalent

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of talent - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

atlent2taelnt2talennt1talentt1taletn2tallent1talnet2tlaent2
Edit distance from "talent"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "talent"?
"talent" is spelled T-A-L-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtælənt/.
What does "talent" mean?
As a noun, "talent" means: A marked natural ability or skill.
What words are commonly confused with "talent"?
"talent" is commonly confused with "tent", "tales", "Trent". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "talent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "talent" is /ˈtælənt/. 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 "talent"?
From Middle English talent, from Old English talente, borrowed from the plural of Latin talentum (“a Grecian weight; a talent of money”), from Ancient Greek τάλαντον (tálanton, “balance, a particular weight, especially of gold, sum of money, a tal... 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 "talent", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

secure#2,315troops#2,322causes#2,333lights#2,303

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

revenue9 variantsfaster9 variantsforgot9 variantsobvious9 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "talent". Here's where to go from here.

  • "talent" maps to 13 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "tent". View pair
  • 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #2,318 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "T" letter cohort. T–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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