taro

/ˈtæɹəʊ/

//ˈtæɹəʊ// noun

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

"taro" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“taro” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,374. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,374
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Colocasia esculenta, raised as a food primarily for its corm, which distantly resembles potato.

Corpus desk

Index EN-taro · taro · English

taro · rank #31,374 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,374
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tangerine

Nearest frequency peer: tangerine (-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 “taro”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “taro” 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).

taro vs to
50% similar
taro vs two
50% similar
taro vs too
50% similar

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

Key facts for taro
PropertyValue
Headwordtaro
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtæɹəʊ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#31,374
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “taro”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).tarolands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “tangerine” (#31,373), “teeming” (#31,375), “takeout” (#31,372). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “taro” is #31,374. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around taro (IPA /ˈtæɹəʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,374 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for taro, with forms such as "atro", "taor", and "tarro". 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, "to", "two", "too", 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 Māori taro. Doublet of kalo, from Hawaiian. The correct English form is taro, spelled T-A-R-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Colocasia esculenta, raised as a food primarily for its corm, which distantly resembles potato.
  2. 2
    Any of several other species with similar corms and growth habit in Colocasia, Alocasia etc.
  3. 3
    Food from a taro plant.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The Jiasian region is famous for taro ice cream. Even though taro is the key ingredient in the ice cream, people in this area bought taro from other regions. During the post-Typhoon Morakot reconstruction process, JCA and other local organisations encouraged large numbers of farmers in Jiasian to grow taro. The Agriculture Bureau then started investing in…

Etymology

Borrowed from Māori taro. Doublet of kalo, from Hawaiian.

This word in other languages

taro(Español)taro(Français)Taro(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • atro
  • taor
  • tarro
  • trao
  • ttaro

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of taro - 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.

atro2taor2tarro1trao2ttaro1
Edit distance from "taro"

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 "taro"?
"taro" is spelled T-A-R-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtæɹəʊ/.
What does "taro" mean?
As a noun, "taro" means: Colocasia esculenta, raised as a food primarily for its corm, which distantly resembles potato.
What words are commonly confused with "taro"?
"taro" is commonly confused with "to", "two", "too". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "taro"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "taro" is /ˈtæɹəʊ/. 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 "taro"?
Borrowed from Māori taro. Doublet of kalo, from Hawaiian. 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 "taro", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

vide#31,399wank#31,403Saad#31,329yous#31,419

Similar misspelling depth

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

Zayn5 variantsassed5 variantsawry5 variantspoof5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list