taut
/tɔːt/adjective, verb
taut is spelled T-A-U-T: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, taut means “Of a body, muscle, etc., not flabby; firm, toned” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in taut?
| Letters | 4: T-A-U-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 32,393rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is taut?
Taut appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd 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 taut?
- UK /tɔːt/
- British /toːt/
- /tɔt/
Taut has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-taut.ogg, En-us-taut.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with taut
Sounds like: tort (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with taut?
11 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as taut from its last stressed vowel (/ɔt/, British pronunciation):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of taut
- tauter comparative
- tautest superlative
- tauts present, singular, he/she/it
- tauting participle, present
- tauted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does taut mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of a body, muscle, etc., not flabby; firm, toned.
- 2
Of a person, having a lean, strong body.
- 3
Of music, writing, etc., containing only relevant parts; brief and controlled.
- 4
Under tension, like a stretched bowstring, rope, or sail; tight.
- 5
Experiencing anxiety or stress.
- 6
Of a sailor, ship, etc., neat and well-disciplined.
- 7
Efficient and in order.
- 8
Strong; uncompromising.
verb
- 1
To make taut; to tauten, to tighten.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Taut in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | tendu, contracté , concis , stressé, anxieux |
| German | gespannt , angespannt |
| Portuguese | tenso, teso, esticado, retesado , conciso |
| Spanish | tenso, tirante, templado, tensionado, tensado, tiesto |
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.