tarmac

/ˈtɑː(ɹ)mæk/

//ˈtɑː(ɹ)mæk// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"tarmac" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tarmac” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,675. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,675
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Tarmacadam.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tarmac · tarmac · English

tarmac · rank #27,675 · 9 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,675
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH Tarantino

Nearest frequency peer: Tarantino (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “tarmac”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “tarmac” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

tarmac vs Tarzan
50% similar
tarmac vs tartan
67% similar
tarmac vs tartar
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for tarmac
PropertyValue
Headwordtarmac
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɑː(ɹ)mæk/
Letters6
Frequency rank#27,675
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tarmac”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).tarmaclands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Tarantino” (#27,674), “teh” (#27,676), “Tahiti” (#27,673). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tarmac” is #27,675. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around tarmac (IPA /ˈtɑː(ɹ)mæk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,675 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for tarmac, with forms such as "atrmac", "tamrac", and "taramc". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "Tarzan", "tartan", "tartar", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Clipping of tarmacadam, which is from tar + macadam (“crushed stones”). Originally a trademark owned by its inventor, Edgar Hooley. The correct English form is tarmac, spelled T-A-R-M-A-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tarmacadam.
  2. 2
    Any bituminous road surfacing material.
  3. 3
    The driveable surface of a road.
  4. 4
    The area of an airport, other than the runway, where planes park or maneuver.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how tarmac appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. How meek and shrunken did that haughty Tarmac become as it slunk by the wide circle of asphalt of the yellow sort, that was loosely strewn before the great iron gates of Lady Hall as a forerunner of the consideration that awaited the guests of Rupert, Earl of Kare, […].

Etymology

Clipping of tarmacadam, which is from tar + macadam (“crushed stones”). Originally a trademark owned by its inventor, Edgar Hooley.

This word in other languages

asfalto(Español)tarmac(Français)Asphalt(Deutsch)asfalto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • atrmac
  • tamrac
  • taramc
  • tarmacc
  • tarmca
  • tarmmac
  • tarrmac
  • tramac
  • ttarmac

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tarmac - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

atrmac2tamrac2taramc2tarmacc1tarmca2tarmmac1tarrmac1tramac2
Edit distance from "tarmac"

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 "tarmac"?
"tarmac" is spelled T-A-R-M-A-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɑː(ɹ)mæk/.
What does "tarmac" mean?
As a noun, "tarmac" means: Tarmacadam.
What words are commonly confused with "tarmac"?
"tarmac" is commonly confused with "Tarzan", "tartan", "tartar". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tarmac"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tarmac" is /ˈtɑː(ɹ)mæk/. 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 "tarmac"?
Clipping of tarmacadam, which is from tar + macadam (“crushed stones”). Originally a trademark owned by its inventor, Edgar Hooley. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "tarmac", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Tahiti#27,673unpack#27,688vetoed#27,690Wilton#27,700

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

swelled9 variantssnuggle9 variantsSmyth9 variantssleazy9 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list