Thao

/θaʊ/

//θaʊ// noun

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

The verdict

“Thao” is uncommon English (frequency #69,506 among 27,828 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#69,506
frequency rank, English
27,828
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A member of an aboriginal people of central Taiwan.

Key facts for Thao
PropertyValue
HeadwordThao
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/θaʊ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#69,506
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Thao” 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). Thao lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

Thao is uncommon English at frequency #69,506 among 27,828 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /θaʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A member of an aboriginal people of central Taiwan.".

Thao doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Thao Thau, an autonym based on thau (“person”), itself from Proto-Austronesian *Cau. Doublet of Tsou. The correct English form is Thao, spelled T-H-A-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A member of an aboriginal people of central Taiwan.

Etymology

From Thao Thau, an autonym based on thau (“person”), itself from Proto-Austronesian *Cau. Doublet of Tsou.

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 "Thao"?
"Thao" is spelled T-H-A-O. The IPA pronunciation is /θaʊ/.
What does "Thao" mean?
As a noun, "Thao" means: A member of an aboriginal people of central Taiwan.
How do you pronounce "Thao"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Thao" is /θaʊ/. 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 "Thao"?
From Thao Thau, an autonym based on thau (“person”), itself from Proto-Austronesian *Cau. Doublet of Tsou. 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 “Thao”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is T-H-A-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /θaʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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