# tapas

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈtæpæs/ · frequency rank #34,713

## Definitions
1. A variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks such as croquettes, cured meat, potato salad, and seafood, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well.

## Etymology
From Spanish tapas, the plural of tapa (“appetizer, tapa; cap, lid (cover of a container)”) (from the fact that plates of tapas were originally placed on the tops of glasses of alcoholic beverages as lids), from Gothic *𐍄𐌰𐍀𐍀𐌰 (*tappa), from Proto-Germanic *tappô (“plug; tap”), from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂p- (“to lose; to sacrifice”). Doublet of tap.

## Easily confused with
- **TPS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tapas-vs-tps)
- **tips** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tapas-vs-tips)
- **tape** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tapas-vs-tape)
- **tops** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tapas-vs-tops)
- **Tara** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tapas-vs-tara)
- **taps** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tapas-vs-taps)
- **tata** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tapas-vs-tata)
- **teas** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tapas-vs-teas)
- **taxa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tapas-vs-taxa)
- **tass** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tapas-vs-tass)
- **Texas** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tapas-vs-texas)
- **types** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tapas-vs-types)
- **taxes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tapas-vs-taxes)
- **tasks** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tapas-vs-tasks)
- **traps** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tapas-vs-traps)
- **taxis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tapas-vs-taxis)
- **taper** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tapas-vs-taper)
- **typos** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tapas-vs-typos)
- **tarts** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tapas-vs-tarts)
- **topaz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tapas-vs-topaz)

## Common misspellings (7)
`atpas`, `taaps`, `tapass`, `tappas`, `tapsa`, `tpaas`, `ttapas`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/tapas