talisman

/ˈtæl.ɪsˌmæn/

//ˈtæl.ɪsˌmæn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“talisman” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,993. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,993
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - 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 power(s).

Corpus desk

Index EN-talisman · talisman · English

talisman · rank #26,993 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,993
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tagline

Nearest frequency peer: tagline (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “talisman”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “talisman” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

talisman vs Tasman
63% similar
talisman vs Taliban
63% similar

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

Key facts for talisman
PropertyValue
Headwordtalisman
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtæl.ɪsˌmæn/
Letters8
Frequency rank#26,993
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “talisman”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).talismanlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “tagline” (#26,992), “Tariq” (#26,994), “tabernacle” (#26,991). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “talisman” is #26,993. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around talisman (IPA /ˈtæl.ɪsˌmæn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #26,993 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Dominant gloss: "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 power(s).".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for talisman, with forms such as "atlisman", "tailsman", and "talimsan". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Tasman", "Taliban", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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 relig… The correct English form is talisman, spelled T-A-L-I-S-M-A-N.

Definition

  1. 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 power(s).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. That woman’s love is a talisman by which he holds and hopes to get his safety.
  2. I have in my possession three Magic Talismans, which I have ever guarded with utmost care, keeping the knowledge of their existence from anyone else.

Etymology

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.

This word in other languages

talismán(Español)talisman(Français)Talisman(Deutsch)talismã(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • atlisman
  • tailsman
  • talimsan
  • talisamn
  • talismann
  • talismman
  • talismna
  • talissman
  • tallisman
  • talsiman
  • tlaisman
  • ttalisman

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of talisman - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

atlisman2tailsman2talimsan2talisamn2talismann1talismman1talismna2talissman1
Edit distance from "talisman"

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 "talisman"?
"talisman" is spelled T-A-L-I-S-M-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtæl.ɪsˌmæn/.
What does "talisman" mean?
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 power(s).
What words are commonly confused with "talisman"?
"talisman" is commonly confused with "Tasman", "Taliban". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "talisman"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "talisman" is /ˈtæl.ɪsˌmæn/. 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 "talisman"?
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 per... 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 "talisman", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tortilla#27,000stylized#26,979Spaniard#26,971Valkyrie#27,017

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

thirdly12 variantsscrapping12 variantsRockville12 variantsresurrect12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list