taper
/ˈteɪpɚ/noun, verb, adjective
taper is spelled T-A-P-E-R: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,589th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, taper means “A slender wax candle” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of taper is tapers.
How many letters and syllables are in taper?
| Letters | 5: T-A-P-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.0 times per million words; the 19,589th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 taper?
Taper appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,589th 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 taper?
- UK /ˈteɪpə/
- US /ˈteɪpɚ/
Taper has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-taper.ogg, En-au-taper.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with taper?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as taper from its last stressed vowel (/eɪpəɹ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: pater, peart, preta, prate, apert.
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 taper
- tapers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- tapering participle, present
- tapered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does taper mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A slender wax candle.
- 2
A small light.
- 3
A tapering form; gradual diminution of thickness and/or cross section in an elongated object.
the taper of a spire
- 4
The portion of an object with such a form.
ensuring the cleanliness of the taper of a machine tool spindle or of a tool shank
- 5
Ellipsis of machine taper.
- 6
A long wick or thin stick used for transferring flames to candles, now usually chemically-treated to burn particularly slowly.
- 7
A cone-shaped item for stretching the hole for an ear gauge (piercing).
- 8
Gradual reduction over time.
a drug taper
- 9
One who operates a tape machine.
- 10
Someone who works with tape or tapes.
verb
- 1
To make thinner or narrower at one end.
- 2
To become thinner or narrower at one end.
- 3
To diminish gradually.
- 4
To tighten monetary policy.
adjective
- 1
Tapered; narrowing to a point.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Taper in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | chandelle , conicité, effilage , rétrécir |
| German | dünne Wachskerze, Kerze, Leuchterkerze , Verjüngung, Kegel, Abschrägung |
| Portuguese | conicidade, afunilamento |
| Spanish | adelgazar , estrecharse |
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 taper come from?
From Middle English taper, from Old English tapor (“taper, candle, wick of a lamp”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Latin papyrus (“papyrus", used in Mediaeval times to mean "wick of a candle”); If so, it is a doublet of papyrus; but compare Old French taper (“taper, slender candle or light”). Alternatively, of Celtic origin related to Irish tapar (“taper”), Welsh tampr (“a taper, torch”); further compare Sanskrit तपती (tápati, “(it) warms, gives out heat, is hot; (it) heats”). More at tepid. First attested before the 12th c.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).