tally
noun · verb
Simple meaning
One of two books, sheets of paper, etc., on which corresponding accounts were kept.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
taleeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtæli
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
by extension
Any account or score kept by notches or marks, whether on wood or paper, or in a book, especially one kept in duplicate.
A notch, mark, or score made on or in a tally; as, to make or earn a score or tally in a game.
by extension
One of two books, sheets of paper, etc., on which corresponding accounts were kept.
A score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely
A ribbon on a sailor's cap bearing the name of the ship or the (part of) the navy to which they belong.
A tally shop.
verb
transitive
To record something by making marks.
transitive
To make things correspond or agree with each other.
Keep score, as in games
transitive
To count something.
transitive
To mathematically calculate a numeric result.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Any account or score kept by notches or marks, whether on wood or paper, or in a book, especially one kept in duplicate.
Used this way, tally is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
One who keeps a tally of quantity or weight of goods produced or shipped or received.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.