tabúvstacWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“tabú” and “tac” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#17,828
“tabú” frequency rank
#14,971
“tac” frequency rank
32799
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tabú tac
Definition Veda (prohibición) del contacto, trato o mención de una cosa, persona o animal por razones sociales o rituales, especialmente religiosas. Sonido que se repite con cierta frecuencia similar al ritmo cardiaco.

Where the eye mixes tabú and tac

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
tabú
3 ch
tac

Look-alike desk: tabú vs tac

A purely visual mix-up. tabú ([t̪aˈβ̞u]) and tac ([ˈt̪ak]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32799, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tabú is recorded at frequency rank #17,828, classified as anoun, pronounced [t̪aˈβ̞u]. tac is at rank #14,971, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt̪ak].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 32799, this pair ranks #200,131 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of tabú vs tac

Shared letters: at. Private to "tabú": . Private to "tac": c.

"tabú" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "tac" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tabú" and "tac" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([t̪aˈβ̞u] versus [ˈt̪ak]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tabú" or "tac"?
"tac" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,971 in our Spanish list, against #17,828 for "tabú". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "tabú" and "tac" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "tabú" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "tac" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #200,131 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "tabú" and "tac" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tabú vs task". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #200,131 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list