tarsus

/ˈtɑː.səs/

//ˈtɑː.səs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“tarsus” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #45,692. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#45,692
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The part between the main part of the hindlimb and the metatarsus in terrestrial vertebrates.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tarsus · tarsus · English

tarsus · rank #45,692 · 9 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #45,692
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tantra

Nearest frequency peer: tantra (-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 “tarsus”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tarsus” 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).

tarsus vs tass
67% similar
tarsus vs tasks
67% similar
tarsus vs tarts
67% similar

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

Key facts for tarsus
PropertyValue
Headwordtarsus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɑː.səs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#45,692
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tarsus”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).tarsuslands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “tantra” (#45,691), “tasker” (#45,693), “Tagore” (#45,690). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tarsus” is #45,692. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around tarsus (IPA /ˈtɑː.səs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #45,692 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 tarsus, with forms such as "atrsus", "tarrsus", and "tarssu". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "tass", "tasks", "tarts", 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 New Latin tarsus. The correct English form is tarsus, spelled T-A-R-S-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The part between the main part of the hindlimb and the metatarsus in terrestrial vertebrates.
  2. 2
    The part between the main part of the hindlimb and the metatarsus in terrestrial vertebrates.
  3. 3
    The part between the main part of the hindlimb and the metatarsus in terrestrial vertebrates.
  4. 4
    A plate of dense connective tissue found in each eyelid, attached to either the superior tarsal muscle (in the upper eyelid) or inferior tarsal muscle (lower eyelid), which aid with sympathetic control.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. On the ledge, the guillemots shuffle awkwardly about on their tarsi, the long bone connecting the ‘ankle’ to the feet.

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin tarsus.

This word in other languages

tarse(Français)Fußwurzel(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • atrsus
  • tarrsus
  • tarssu
  • tarssus
  • tarsuss
  • taruss
  • tasrus
  • trasus
  • ttarsus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

atrsus2tarrsus1tarssu2tarssus1tarsuss1taruss2tasrus2trasus2
Edit distance from "tarsus"

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 "tarsus"?
"tarsus" is spelled T-A-R-S-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɑː.səs/.
What does "tarsus" mean?
As a noun, "tarsus" means: The part between the main part of the hindlimb and the metatarsus in terrestrial vertebrates.
What words are commonly confused with "tarsus"?
"tarsus" is commonly confused with "tass", "tasks", "tarts". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tarsus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tarsus" is /ˈtɑː.səs/. 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 "tarsus"?
Borrowed from New Latin tarsus. 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 "tarsus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

tantra#45,691tasker#45,693Tagore#45,690tipper#45,704

Similar misspelling depth

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

trodden9 variantsSlocum9 variantssleuth9 variantsSkopje9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list