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PlainSpell

target

tar·getUK /ˈtɑː.ɡɪt/noun, verb

target is spelled T-A-R-G-E-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables (tar·get). It appears 66 times per million words in written English, the 1,602nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, target means “A butt or mark to shoot at, as for practice, or to test the accuracy of a firearm, or the force of a projectile” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of target is targets.

How many letters and syllables are in target?

Letters6: T-A-R-G-E-T
Syllables2: tar·get
In writing66 times per million words; the 1,602nd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is target?

Target appears 66 times per million words in written English, the 1,602nd 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 target?

  • UK /ˈtɑː.ɡɪt/
  • UK [ˈtʰɑː.ɡɪt]
  • UK [ˈtʰɑː.ɡɪt̚]

Target has 2 syllables, split tar·get in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-target.wav, En-us-target.ogg, En-au-target.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with target

Also written: tgt.

Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

Forms of target

  • targets plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • targeting participle, present
  • targetting participle, present, rare
  • targeted participle, past
  • targetted participle, past, rare

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does target mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A butt or mark to shoot at, as for practice, or to test the accuracy of a firearm, or the force of a projectile.

    Take careful aim at the target.

  2. 2

    A goal or objective.

    They have a target to finish the project by November.

  3. 3

    An object of criticism or ridicule.

  4. 4

    A person, place, or thing that is frequently attacked, criticized, or ridiculed.

  5. 5

    A kind of small shield or buckler, used as a defensive weapon in war.

  6. 6

    obsoleteA shield resembling the Roman scutum, larger than the modern buckler.

  7. 7

    A bearing representing a buckler.

  8. 8

    The pattern or arrangement of a series of hits made by a marksman on a butt or mark.

    He made a good target.

verb

  1. 1

    To aim something, especially a weapon, at (a target).

  2. 2

    To aim for as an audience or demographic.

    The advertising campaign targeted older women.

  3. 3

    To produce code suitable for.

    This cross-platform compiler can target any of several processors.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Target in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchcible (butt or mark to shoot at), objectif, but (goal or objective), cibler, viser (to aim something (especially a weapon) at a…)
GermanZielscheibe, Schießscheibe, Ziel (butt or mark to shoot at), zielen (to aim something (especially a weapon) at a…)
Portuguesealvo (butt or mark to shoot at), objetivo (goal or objective), mirar (to aim something (especially a weapon) at a…), direcionar (to aim for as an audience or demographic)
Spanishblanco, diana, objetivo, hito, escopo (butt or mark to shoot at), meta (goal or objective)

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 target come from?

From Middle French targette, targuete, diminutive of targe (“light shield”), from Old French, from Frankish *targa (“buckler”), akin to Old Norse targa (“small round shield”) (whence also Old English targe, targa (“shield”)) from Proto-Germanic *targǭ (“edge”), from Proto-Indo-European *derǵʰ- (“fenced lot”). Akin to Old High German zarga (“side wall, rim”) (German Zarge (“frame”)), Spanish tarjeta (“card”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after target