ternary
/ˈtɜː.nə.ɹi/
"ternary" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ternary” is an uncommon English word, ranked #52,043 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #52,043
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Made up of three things.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ternary |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈtɜː.nə.ɹi/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #52,043 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ternary” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for ternary is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈtɜː.nə.ɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #52,043 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for ternary, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Latin ternārius (“consisting of three things”), from ternī (“three each”). The correct English form is ternary, spelled T-E-R-N-A-R-Y.
Definition
- 1Made up of three things.
- 2Arranged in groups of three.
- 3To the base three.
- 4Having three variables.
- 5Containing, or consisting of, three different parts, as elements, atoms, groups, or radicals, which are regarded as having different functions or relations in the molecule.
- 6Of an operator taking three operands.
Etymology
From Late Latin ternārius (“consisting of three things”), from ternī (“three each”).
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “ternary”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is T-E-R-N-A-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈtɜː.nə.ɹi/ (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
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.