tape

/teɪ̯p/

//teɪ̯p// noun

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

"tape" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tape” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,398. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,398
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Flexible material in a roll with a sticky surface on one or both sides; adhesive tape.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tape · tape · English

tape · rank #3,398 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,398
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tag

Nearest frequency peer: tag (-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 “tape”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tape” 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).

tape vs te
50% similar
tape vs tp
50% similar
tape vs the
50% similar

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

Key facts for tape
PropertyValue
Headwordtape
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/teɪ̯p/
Letters4
Frequency rank#3,398
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tape”

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).tapelands 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 “tag” (#3,397), “thread” (#3,399), “singles” (#3,396). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tape” is #3,398. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around tape (IPA /teɪ̯p/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,398 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for tape, with forms such as "atpe", "taep", and "tappe". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "te", "tp", "the", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English tape, tappe, from Old English tæppa, tæppe (“ribbon, tape”); further origin unclear. Probably akin to Old Frisian tapia (“to pull, rip, tear”), Middle Low German tappen, tāpen (“to grab, pull, rip, tear, snatch”), Middle High German zāfe… The correct English form is tape, spelled T-A-P-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Flexible material in a roll with a sticky surface on one or both sides; adhesive tape.
  2. 2
    Thin and flat paper, plastic or similar flexible material, usually produced in the form of a roll.
  3. 3
    Finishing tape, stretched across a track to mark the end of a race.
  4. 4
    Magnetic or optical recording media in a roll; videotape or audio tape.
  5. 5
    Any video or audio recording, regardless of the method used to produce it.
  6. 6
    An unthinking, patterned response triggered by a particular stimulus.
  7. 7
    The series of prices at which a financial instrument trades.
  8. 8
    The wrapping of the primary puck-handling surface of a hockey stick.
  9. 9
    A strong flexible band rotating on pulleys for directing the sheets in a printing machine.
  10. 10
    Liquor, alcoholic drink, especially gin or brandy. (Especially in prison slang or among domestic servants and women.)
  11. 11
    Clipping of red tape (“time-consuming bureaucratic procedures”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Hand me some tape. I need to fix a tear in this paper.
  2. I sealed up the box with clear shipping tape.

Etymology

From Middle English tape, tappe, from Old English tæppa, tæppe (“ribbon, tape”); further origin unclear. Probably akin to Old Frisian tapia (“to pull, rip, tear”), Middle Low German tappen, tāpen (“to grab, pull, rip, tear, snatch”), Middle High German zāfen, zāven (“to pull, tear”).

This word in other languages

cinta(Español)bande(Français)Band(Deutsch)fita(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • atpe
  • taep
  • tappe
  • tpae
  • ttape

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

atpe2taep2tappe1tpae2ttape1
Edit distance from "tape"

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 "tape"?
"tape" is spelled T-A-P-E. The IPA pronunciation is /teɪ̯p/.
What does "tape" mean?
As a noun, "tape" means: Flexible material in a roll with a sticky surface on one or both sides; adhesive tape.
What words are commonly confused with "tape"?
"tape" is commonly confused with "te", "tp", "the". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tape"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tape" is /teɪ̯p/. 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 "tape"?
From Middle English tape, tappe, from Old English tæppa, tæppe (“ribbon, tape”); further origin unclear. Probably akin to Old Frisian tapia (“to pull, rip, tear”), Middle Low German tappen, tāpen (“to grab, pull, rip, tear, snatch”), Middle High G... 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 "tape", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

wage#3,402we'd#3,403sand#3,392Andy#3,405

Similar misspelling depth

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

mini5 variantsIraq5 variantsDave5 variantsbath5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list