taxi
/ˈtæksi/noun, verb
taxi is spelled T-A-X-I: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,206th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, taxi means “A vehicle that may be hired for single journeys by members of the public, particularly one with an automated meter to calculate the fare” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of taxi is taxis or taxies.
How many letters and syllables are in taxi?
| Letters | 4: T-A-X-I |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 15 times per million words; the 5,206th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is taxi?
Taxi appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,206th 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 taxi?
- US /ˈtæksi/
- British /ˈtaksɪj/
- /ˈtakse/
Taxi has 2 syllables (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-us-taxi.ogg, En-uk-a_taxi.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of taxi
- taxis plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- taxies plural, present, rare, singular, he/she/it
- taxiing participle, present
- taxying participle, present, rare
- taxied participle, past
- tax-
- taxo-
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does taxi mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A vehicle that may be hired for single journeys by members of the public, particularly one with an automated meter to calculate the fare.
I cabbed a package downtown in my father's taxi.
- 2
obsoleteslangAn aircraft used for practicing ground manoeuvres.
- 3
The movement of an aircraft across an airport's surface under its own power; a phase of aircraft operation involving this movement.
During taxi, the flaps and slats are extended and the second engine (if not already running) is started.
- 4
Synonym of shared taxi.
verb
- 1
To move an aircraft on the ground under its own power.
taxi down the runway
- 2
To travel by taxicab.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Taxi in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | taxi, taxi-auto , faire taxi |
| German | Taxi, Taxe , rollen |
| Portuguese | táxi , taxiar |
| Spanish | taxi, taxímetro, libre , carretear |
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.
Where does taxi come from?
Shortened from taximeter cab, taximeter (“automatic meter that records distance and fare”) from French taximètre, from German Taxameter (whence also English taxameter), coined from Medieval Latin taxa (“tax, charge”). More at tax, task. The aviation sense originally derived from a slang term for training aircraft used for practicing ground operations, which were said to drive around the airfield like a taxicab, and subsequently applied to all aircraft ground movements.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).