tang
/ˈtæŋ/noun, verb
tang is spelled T-A-N-G: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 3.8 times per million words in written English, the 13,321st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, tang means “A refreshingly sharp aroma or flavor” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tang is tangs.
How many letters and syllables are in tang?
| Letters | 4: T-A-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 3.8 times per million words; the 13,321st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is tang?
Tang appears 3.8 times per million words in written English, the 13,321st 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 tang?
- /ˈtæŋ/
- [ˈtʰæŋ]
- /ˈteɪ̯ŋ/
Tang has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-tang.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with tang?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as tang.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: gnat.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of tang
- tangs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- tanging participle, present
- tanged participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tang mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A refreshingly sharp aroma or flavor.
a tang of citrus
- 2
A strong or offensive taste; especially, a taste of something extraneous to the thing itself.
a tang of cellar
- 3
A sharp, specific flavor or tinge.
a tang of pedantry
- 4
A projecting part of an object by means of which it is secured to a handle, or to some other part.
(archaic)
- 5
The part of a knife, fork, file, or other instrument or hand tool, which is inserted into the handle.
full-tang
- 6
The part of a sword blade to which the handle is fastened.
- 7
The projecting part of the breech of a musket barrel, by which the barrel is secured to the stock.
- 8
A shuffleboard paddle.
- 9
A sharp, twanging sound; an unpleasant tone; a twang.
- 10
vulgarThe vagina or vulva.
- 11
vulgarSexual intercourse with a woman
- 12
Any of a group of saltwater fish from the family Acanthuridae, especially the genus Zebrasoma.
- 13
rareknotted wrack, Ascophyllum nodosum (coarse blackish seaweed)
verb
- 1
datedTo strike two metal objects together loudly in order to persuade a swarm of honeybees to land so it may be captured by the beekeeper.
- 2
To make a ringing sound; to ring.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tang in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | saveur piquante , queue |
| German | Beigeschmack , Erl, Angel |
| Spanish | espiga |
| Portuguese | espiga, espigão , peixe-cirurgião |
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 tang come from?
From Middle English tange, variant of tonge (“tongs, fang”), from Old Norse tangi (“pointed metal tool”), perhaps related to Old Norse tunga (“tongue”). But see also Middle Dutch tanger (“sharp, tart, pinching”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).