taxes

/ˈtæksɪz/

//ˈtæksɪz// noun

"taxes" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“taxes” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,272 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,272
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - plural of tax

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

taxes vs taxi
60% similar
taxes vs toes
60% similar
taxes vs Tees
40% similar

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

Key facts for taxes
PropertyValue
Headwordtaxes
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtæksɪz/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,272
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “taxes” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for taxes is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈtæksɪz/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,272 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "plural of tax".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for taxes, with forms such as "atxes", "taexs", and "taxess". 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, "taxi", "toes", "Tees", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: See tax. The correct English form is taxes, spelled T-A-X-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    plural of tax

Etymology

See tax.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: atxes,taexs,taxess,taxse,taxxes,ttaxes,txaes

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

atxes2taexs2taxess1taxse2taxxes1ttaxes1txaes2
Edit distance from "taxes"

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 "taxes"?
"taxes" is spelled T-A-X-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtæksɪz/.
What does "taxes" mean?
As a noun, "taxes" means: plural of tax
What words are commonly confused with "taxes"?
"taxes" is commonly confused with "taxi", "toes", "Tees". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "taxes"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "taxes" is /ˈtæksɪz/. 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 "taxes"?
See 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.

Using “taxes”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is T-A-X-E-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈtæksɪz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “taxi” - see the side-by-side comparison. taxes vs taxi
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list