triplevstrippedWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#4,278
“triple” frequency rank
#16,605
“tripped” frequency rank
20883
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature triple tripped
Definition Made up of three related elements, often matching simple past and past participle of trip

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
triple
7 ch
tripped

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

triple and tripped 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 20883, 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/. tripped is at rank #16,605, tagged as averb, pronounced /tɹɪpt/.

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 20883, this pair ranks #427,979 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

triple#4,278
tripped#16,605

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "triple" and "tripped" be used interchangeably?
No, "triple" and "tripped" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering triple vs tripped

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “triple”; for a verb, it's “tripped”.
  • 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list