talisman
/ˈtæl.ɪsˌmæn/noun, verb
talisman is spelled T-A-L-I-S-M-A-N: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, talisman means “A magical object providing protection against ill will, or the supernatural, or conferring the wearer with a boon such as good luck, good health, or…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of talisman is talismans; Wiktionary also lists talismen (nonstandard).
How many letters and syllables are in talisman?
| Letters | 8: T-A-L-I-S-M-A-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 26,776th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is talisman?
Talisman appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce talisman?
- /ˈtæl.ɪsˌmæn/
- /ˈtæl.ɪz.mən/
Talisman has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-talisman.ogg, En-au-talisman.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of talisman
- talismans plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- talismaning participle, present
- talismanning participle, present
- talismaned participle, past
- talismanned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does talisman mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A magical object providing protection against ill will, or the supernatural, or conferring the wearer with a boon such as good luck, good health, or certain powers.
- 2
IndiaobsoleteA mullah (Islamic religious scholar).
verb
- 1
To adorn with a talisman.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Talisman in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense magical protective charms:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does talisman come from?
From French talisman, partly from Arabic طِلَّسْم (ṭillasm, “payment”), from Ancient Greek τέλεσμα (télesma, “payment”); and partly directly from Byzantine Greek τέλεσμα (télesma, “talisman, religious rite, completion”), from τελέω (teléō, “to perform religious rites, to complete”), from τέλος (télos, “end, fulfillment, accomplishment, consummation, completion”). Doublet of telesm.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).