Which to use
“tribe” and “trifle” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,923
- “tribe” frequency rank
- #31,804
- “trifle” frequency rank
- 37727
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tribe | trifle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 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. | An English dessert made from a mixture of thick custard, fruit, sponge cake, jelly and whipped cream. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tribe and trifle apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
tribe and trifle form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37727, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tribe is recorded at frequency rank #5,923, classified as anoun, pronounced /tɹaɪb/. trifle is at rank #31,804, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈtɹaɪfəl/.
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 37727, this pair ranks #292,038 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tribe" and "trifle" be used interchangeably?
Remembering tribe vs trifle
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tribe” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable