tantalus

/ˈtæntələs/

//ˈtæntələs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“tantalus” is uncommon English (frequency #85,846 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,846
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A stork of the genus Mycteria (formerly Tantalus), especially the American wood stork, Mycteria americana.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tantalus · tantalus · English

tantalus · rank #85,846 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #85,846
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tane

Nearest frequency peer: tane (-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 “tantalus”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for tantalus
PropertyValue
Headwordtantalus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtæntələs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#85,846
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “tantalus” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).tantalusfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “tane” (#85,845), “tarin” (#85,847), “Tartu” (#85,848). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tantalus” is #85,846. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tantalus is uncommon English at frequency #85,846 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtæntələs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

tantalus has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin Tantalus, from Ancient Greek Τάνταλος (Tántalos, “Tantalus”), a Phrygian king in Greek mythology who was condemned to stand in a pool of water which receded every time he tried to drink, and with overhanging branches of fruit which pulled back wh… The correct English form is tantalus, spelled T-A-N-T-A-L-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A stork of the genus Mycteria (formerly Tantalus), especially the American wood stork, Mycteria americana.
  2. 2
    A stand in which to lock up drink decanters while keeping them visible.
  3. 3
    Something of an evasive or retreating nature, something consistently out of reach; a tantalising thing.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Yes, there was a tantalus containing brandy and whisky on the sea-chest.
  2. “A small boy, sir. Said I was to be sure and see you got it most particular.” He unlocked a cupboard near the window and produced a tantalus. “Whisky, sir, or cocktail?”

Etymology

From Latin Tantalus, from Ancient Greek Τάνταλος (Tántalos, “Tantalus”), a Phrygian king in Greek mythology who was condemned to stand in a pool of water which receded every time he tried to drink, and with overhanging branches of fruit which pulled back whenever he tried to eat. Doublet of Tantalus.

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 "tantalus"?
"tantalus" is spelled T-A-N-T-A-L-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtæntələs/.
What does "tantalus" mean?
As a noun, "tantalus" means: A stork of the genus Mycteria (formerly Tantalus), especially the American wood stork, Mycteria americana.
How do you pronounce "tantalus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tantalus" is /ˈtæntələs/. 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 "tantalus"?
From Latin Tantalus, from Ancient Greek Τάνταλος (Tántalos, “Tantalus”), a Phrygian king in Greek mythology who was condemned to stand in a pool of water which receded every time he tried to drink, and with overhanging branches of fruit which pull... 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 "tantalus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Togolese#85,862sublease#85,822trumping#85,872squiggle#85,806

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list