task

/tɑːsk/

//tɑːsk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“task” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,271. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,271
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A piece of work done as part of one’s duties.

Corpus desk

Index EN-task · task · English

task · rank #2,271 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,271
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH split

Nearest frequency peer: split (-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 “task”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “task” 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).

task vs TS
0% similar
task vs TK
0% similar
task vs tax
50% similar

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

Key facts for task
PropertyValue
Headwordtask
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/tɑːsk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#2,271
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “task”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).tasklands 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 “split” (#2,270), “taxes” (#2,272), “specifically” (#2,269). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “task” is #2,271. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around task (IPA /tɑːsk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,271 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for task, with forms such as "atsk", "taks", and "taskk". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "TS", "TK", "tax", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English taske (“task, tax”), from Old Northern French tasque, (compare Old French variant tasche), from Medieval Latin tasca, alteration of taxa, from Latin taxō (“to censure; to charge”). Doublet of tax. The correct English form is task, spelled T-A-S-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A piece of work done as part of one’s duties.
  2. 2
    Any piece of work done.
  3. 3
    A single action undertaken by a given agent.
  4. 4
    A difficult or tedious undertaking.
  5. 5
    An objective.
  6. 6
    A process or execution of a program.
  7. 7
    A tax or charge.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. monotonous task
  2. regular task

Etymology

From Middle English taske (“task, tax”), from Old Northern French tasque, (compare Old French variant tasche), from Medieval Latin tasca, alteration of taxa, from Latin taxō (“to censure; to charge”). Doublet of tax.

Synonyms

chorejobundertakingobjectivegoalprocess

This word in other languages

tarea(Español)tâche(Français)Aufgabe(Deutsch)tarefa(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • atsk
  • taks
  • taskk
  • tassk
  • tsak
  • ttask

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

atsk2taks2taskk1tassk1tsak2ttask1
Edit distance from "task"

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 "task"?
"task" is spelled T-A-S-K. The IPA pronunciation is /tɑːsk/.
What does "task" mean?
As a noun, "task" means: A piece of work done as part of one’s duties.
What words are commonly confused with "task"?
"task" is commonly confused with "TS", "TK", "tax". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "task"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "task" is /tɑːsk/. 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 "task"?
From Middle English taske (“task, tax”), from Old Northern French tasque, (compare Old French variant tasche), from Medieval Latin tasca, alteration of taxa, from Latin taxō (“to censure; to charge”). Doublet of tax. 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 "task", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

acts#2,276hits#2,254fake#2,251cute#2,249

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

Korea6 variantsequal6 variantschain6 variantssnow6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list