# tribal vs tribe

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### tribal
*adjective · IPA /ˈtɹaɪbəl/ · frequency rank #6,849*
Of or relating to tribes.

### tribe
*noun · IPA /tɹaɪb/ · frequency rank #5,923*
An ethnic group larger than a band or clan (and which may contain clans) but smaller than a nation (and which in turn may constitute a nation with other tribes). The tribe is often the basis of ethnic identity.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tribal-vs-tribe