talco

/ˈtaɫ.ku/

//ˈtaɫ.ku// noun

The verdict

“talco” is a moderately-common Portuguese word, ranked #37,106 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a noun.

#37,106
frequency rank, Portuguese
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - mineral derivado do magnésio e que se apresenta em agregados de lâminas

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

talco vs tão
40% similar
talco vs talk
60% similar
talco vs tolo
60% similar

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

Key facts for talco
PropertyValue
Headwordtalco
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtaɫ.ku/
Letters5
Frequency rank#37,106
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “talco” sits in Portuguese 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). talco 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 Portuguese entry for talco is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈtaɫ.ku/. Corpus data places it at rank #37,106 in overall Portuguese word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 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 talco, with forms such as "atlco", "taclo", and "talcco". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "tão", "talk", "tolo", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct Portuguese form is talco, spelled T-A-L-C-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    mineral derivado do magnésio e que se apresenta em agregados de lâminas
  2. 2
    produto feito do talco pulverizado, que se usa sobre a pele com fins medicinais ou higiênicos

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: atlco,taclo,talcco,tallco,taloc,tlaco,ttalco

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of talco - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

atlco2taclo2talcco1tallco1taloc2tlaco2ttalco1
Edit distance from "talco"

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "talco"?
"talco" is spelled T-A-L-C-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtaɫ.ku/.
What does "talco" mean?
As a noun, "talco" means: mineral derivado do magnésio e que se apresenta em agregados de lâminas
What words are commonly confused with "talco"?
"talco" is commonly confused with "tão", "talk", "tolo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "talco"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "talco" is /ˈtaɫ.ku/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "talco" come from?
"talco" is a Portuguese word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “talco”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is T-A-L-C-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈtaɫ.ku/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “tão” - see the side-by-side comparison. talco vs tão
  • Browse more Portuguese words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Portuguese 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