taken

\ˈtakn̩\

/\ˈtakn̩\/ adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“taken” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #40,041 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#40,041
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Accusatif masculin singulier de la déclinaison faible de tak.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

taken vs ten
60% similar
taken vs tan
60% similar
taken vs taxe
60% similar

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

Key facts for taken
PropertyValue
Headwordtaken
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ˈtakn̩\
Letters5
Frequency rank#40,041
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “taken” sits in French 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). taken 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 French entry for taken is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ˈtakn̩\. Corpus data places it at rank #40,041 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for taken, with forms such as "atken", "taekn", and "takenn". 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, "ten", "tan", "taxe", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is taken, spelled T-A-K-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Accusatif masculin singulier de la déclinaison faible de tak.
  2. 2
    Accusatif masculin singulier de la déclinaison forte de tak.
  3. 3
    Accusatif masculin singulier de la déclinaison mixte de tak.
  4. 4
    Datif pluriel (à tous les genres) de la déclinaison forte de tak.
  5. 5
    Datif singulier (à tous les genres) de la déclinaison faible de tak.
  6. 6
    Datif singulier (à tous les genres) de la déclinaison mixte de tak.
  7. 7
    Génitif masculin singulier de la déclinaison forte de tak.
  8. 8
    Génitif neutre singulier de la déclinaison forte de tak.
  9. 9
    Génitif singulier (à tous les genres) de la déclinaison faible de tak.
  10. 10
    Génitif singulier (à tous les genres) de la déclinaison mixte de tak.
  11. 11
    Pluriel (à tous les cas et à tous les genres) de la déclinaison faible de tak.
  12. 12
    Pluriel (à tous les cas et à tous les genres) de la déclinaison mixte de tak.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: atken,taekn,takenn,takken,takne,tkaen,ttaken

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

atken2taekn2takenn1takken1takne2tkaen2ttaken1
Edit distance from "taken"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "taken"?
"taken" is spelled T-A-K-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈtakn̩\.
What does "taken" mean?
As an adjective, "taken" means: Accusatif masculin singulier de la déclinaison faible de tak.
What words are commonly confused with "taken"?
"taken" is commonly confused with "ten", "tan", "taxe". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "taken"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "taken" is \ˈtakn̩\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "taken" come from?
"taken" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “taken”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is T-A-K-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ˈtakn̩\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “ten” - see the side-by-side comparison. taken vs ten
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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