talion

/ˈtalɪən/

//ˈtalɪən// noun

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

The verdict

“talion” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Retaliation; retribution.

Corpus desk

Index EN-talion · talion · English

talion · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 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 talion
PropertyValue
Headwordtalion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtalɪən/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “talion” in English

talionfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Rare enough to double-check

talion is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtalɪən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Retaliation; retribution.".

talion has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. 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: From Middle French talion, from Latin talis (“such”). The correct English form is talion, spelled T-A-L-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Retaliation; retribution.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Simple talion may be fine for wartime, but politics between wars demands symmetry and a more elegant idea of justice, even to the point of masquerading, a bit decadently, as mercy.

Etymology

From Middle French talion, from Latin talis (“such”).

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 "talion"?
"talion" is spelled T-A-L-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtalɪən/.
What does "talion" mean?
As a noun, "talion" means: Retaliation; retribution.
How do you pronounce "talion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "talion" is /ˈtalɪən/. 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 "talion"?
From Middle French talion, from Latin talis (“such”). 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