entrap
/ɪnˈtɹæp/
"entrap" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“entrap” is uncommon English (frequency #64,355 among 18,836 “E” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #64,355
- frequency rank, English
- 18,836
- “E” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To catch in a trap or snare.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | entrap |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɪnˈtɹæp/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #64,355 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “entrap” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
entrap is uncommon English at frequency #64,355 among 18,836 “E” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɪnˈtɹæp/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
entrap has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French entrapper, entraper, from Old French entraper, antraper (“catch in a trap”), equivalent to en- + trap. Compare Middle English bitrappen, from Old English betræppan (“to catch in a trap, entrap”), from the same West Germanic source (see Mo… The correct English form is entrap, spelled E-N-T-R-A-P.
Definition
- 1To catch in a trap or snare.
- 2To lure (someone), either into a dangerous situation, or into performing an illegal act.
Etymology
From Middle French entrapper, entraper, from Old French entraper, antraper (“catch in a trap”), equivalent to en- + trap. Compare Middle English bitrappen, from Old English betræppan (“to catch in a trap, entrap”), from the same West Germanic source (see Modern English betrap).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
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Using “entrap”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-N-T-R-A-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪnˈtɹæp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.