triplevsTripoliWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: triple is a adjective, Tripoli is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“triple” is an adjective and “Tripoli” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,278
“triple” frequency rank
#19,997
“Tripoli” frequency rank
24275
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature triple Tripoli
Definition Made up of three related elements, often matching A city in the Peloponnese region, Greece, also known as Tripolis.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set triple and Tripoli apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
triple
7 ch
Tripoli

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: triple is /ˈtɹɪp.əl/ while Tripoli is /ˈtɹɪpəli/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24275, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

triple is recorded at frequency rank #4,278, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈtɹɪp.əl/. Tripoli is at rank #19,997, tagged as aname, pronounced /ˈtɹɪpəli/.

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 24275, this pair ranks #403,171 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of triple vs Tripoli

Shared letters: ilprt. Private to "triple": e. Private to "Tripoli": o.

"triple" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV  ·  "Tripoli" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • triplertiple · tirple · trilpe · tripel · triplle · tripple · trpile · trriple
  • Tripolirtipoli · tirpoli · triopli · triploi · tripoil · tripolli · trippoli · trpioli

Frequency comparison

triple#4,278
Tripoli#19,997

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "triple" and "Tripoli" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "triple" is an adjective and "Tripoli" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "triple" or "Tripoli"?
"triple" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,278 in our English list, against #19,997 for "Tripoli". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering triple vs Tripoli

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “triple”; for a name, it's “Tripoli”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “triple” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list