taper
/ˈteɪpə/
"taper" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“taper” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #19,713 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #19,713
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A slender wax candle.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | taper |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈteɪpə/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #19,713 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “taper” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for taper is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈteɪpə/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,713 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for taper, with forms such as "atper", "taepr", and "taperr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "tar", "ter", "type", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: 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. Alternatively, of Celtic… The correct English form is taper, spelled T-A-P-E-R.
Definition
- 1A slender wax candle.
- 2A small light.
- 3A tapering form; gradual diminution of thickness and/or cross section in an elongated object.
- 4The portion of an object with such a form.
- 5Ellipsis of machine taper.
- 6A thin stick used for lighting candles, either a wax-coated wick or a slow-burning wooden rod.
- 7A cone-shaped item for stretching the hole for an ear gauge (piercing).
- 8Gradual reduction over time.
Etymology
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. 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.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: atper,taepr,taperr,tapre,tpaer,ttaper
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of taper - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “taper”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is T-A-P-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈteɪpə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “tar” - see the side-by-side comparison. taper vs tar
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.