Tara
/ˈtɑːɹə/
"tara" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“Tara” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,985 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.
- #11,985
- frequency rank, English
- 4
- letters
- 5
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An Irish place name, associated with the Hill of Tara, seat of ancient Irish kings.
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 | Tara |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Proper noun |
| IPA | /ˈtɑːɹə/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #11,985 |
| Misspellings tracked | 5 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Tara” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for Tara is 4 letters long, classified as a proper noun, 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 generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for Tara, with forms such as "atra", "taar", and "tarra". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, 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, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
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. The correct English form is Tara, spelled T-A-R-A.
Definition
- 1An Irish place name, associated with the Hill of Tara, seat of ancient Irish kings.
- 2An Irish place name, associated with the Hill of Tara, seat of ancient Irish kings.
- 3A female given name transferred from the place name, of 20th century and later usage.
- 4A male given name.
- 5Some other places named Tara, all likely after the Irish hill:
- 6Some other places named Tara, all likely after the Irish hill:
- 7Some other places named Tara, all likely after the Irish hill:
- 8Some other places named Tara, all likely after the Irish hill:
- 9Some other places named Tara, all likely after the Irish hill:
- 10Some 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.
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: atra,taar,tarra,traa,ttara
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Tara - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "Tara"?
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Using “Tara”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is T-A-R-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈtɑːɹə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “try” - see the side-by-side comparison. Tara vs try
- 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.