tannin

/ˈtænɪn/

//ˈtænɪn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“tannin” is uncommon English (frequency #56,479 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,479
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Tannic acid or any of its derivatives.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tannin · tannin · English

tannin · rank #56,479 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,479
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH taha

Nearest frequency peer: taha (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “tannin”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “tannin” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for tannin
PropertyValue
Headwordtannin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtænɪn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#56,479
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “tannin” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).tanninfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “taha” (#56,478), “tantalum” (#56,480), “synoptic” (#56,477). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tannin” is #56,479. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tannin is uncommon English at frequency #56,479 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtænɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Tannic acid or any of its derivatives.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for tannin in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French tannin, from Latin tannum (“oak bark”), from Gaulish *tannos (“oak”). Related to tan. By surface analysis, tann- + -in. The correct English form is tannin, spelled T-A-N-N-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tannic acid or any of its derivatives.

Etymology

From French tannin, from Latin tannum (“oak bark”), from Gaulish *tannos (“oak”). Related to tan. By surface analysis, tann- + -in.

Synonyms

E181 when used as a food colouring

This word in other languages

tanino(Español)tanin(Français)Tannin(Deutsch)tanino(Português)

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 "tannin"?
"tannin" is spelled T-A-N-N-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtænɪn/.
What does "tannin" mean?
As a noun, "tannin" means: Tannic acid or any of its derivatives.
How do you pronounce "tannin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tannin" is /ˈtænɪn/. 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 "tannin"?
From French tannin, from Latin tannum (“oak bark”), from Gaulish *tannos (“oak”). Related to tan. By surface analysis, tann- + -in. 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 "tannin", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Tilton#56,489trowel#56,499tweety#56,503Solent#56,452

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list