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tara

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

4 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "tara", 4-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "tara" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "tara" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

Tara is aEnglishname. It means: An Irish place name, associated with the Hill of Tara, seat of ancient Irish kings. Pronounced /ˈtɑːɹə/. Often confused with try and tax.

Key facts for Tara
PropertyValue
HeadwordTara
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechName
IPA/ˈtɑːɹə/
Letters4
Frequency rank#11,985
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of Tara in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Tara is 4 letters long, classified as aname, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈtɑːɹə/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,985 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 5 documented wrong-spelling variants for Tara, with forms such as "atra", "taar", and "tarra". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "try", "tax", "tea", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Irish Teamhrach, genitive of Teamhair, from Old Irish Temair (literally “high place”). The female given name is derived from the name of the plantation in Gone with the Wind, named for the place in Ireland. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is Tara, spelled T-A-R-A, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    An Irish place name, associated with the Hill of Tara, seat of ancient Irish kings.
  2. 2
    An Irish place name, associated with the Hill of Tara, seat of ancient Irish kings.
  3. 3
    A female given name transferred from the place name, of 20th century and later usage.
  4. 4
    A male given name.
  5. 5
    Some other places named Tara, all likely after the Irish hill:
  6. 6
    Some other places named Tara, all likely after the Irish hill:
  7. 7
    Some other places named Tara, all likely after the Irish hill:
  8. 8
    Some other places named Tara, all likely after the Irish hill:
  9. 9
    Some other places named Tara, all likely after the Irish hill:
  10. 10
    Some other places named Tara, all likely after the Irish hill:

Etymology

Borrowed from Irish Teamhrach, genitive of Teamhair, from Old Irish Temair (literally “high place”). The female given name is derived from the name of the plantation in Gone with the Wind, named for the place in Ireland.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: atra,taar,tarra,traa,ttara

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for Tara

Misspelling Variants of "Tara"

atra4taar4tarra5traa4ttara5
Misspelling Variants of "Tara"

Frequency rank: #11,985 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Tara"?
"Tara" is spelled T-A-R-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɑːɹə/.
What does "Tara" mean?
As a name, "Tara" means: An Irish place name, associated with the Hill of Tara, seat of ancient Irish kings.
What words are commonly confused with "Tara"?
"Tara" is commonly confused with "try", "tax", "tea". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Tara"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Tara" is /ˈtɑːɹə/. 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 "Tara"?
Borrowed from Irish Teamhrach, genitive of Teamhair, from Old Irish Temair (literally “high place”). The female given name is derived from the name of the plantation in Gone with the Wind, named for the place in Ireland. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter T in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.