terrible

/ˈtɛɹəbl̩/

//ˈtɛɹəbl̩// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"terrible" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“terrible” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,019. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,019
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Dreadful; causing terror, alarm and fear; awesome

Corpus desk

Index EN-terrible · terrible · English

terrible · rank #2,019 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,019
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH supporting

Nearest frequency peer: supporting (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “terrible”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “terrible” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

terrible vs terribly
88% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for terrible
PropertyValue
Headwordterrible
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈtɛɹəbl̩/
Letters8
Frequency rank#2,019
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “terrible”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).terriblelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “supporting” (#2,018), “they'll” (#2,020), “Steve” (#2,017). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “terrible” is #2,019. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around terrible (IPA /ˈtɛɹəbl̩/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #2,019 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for terrible, with forms such as "etrrible", "terible", and "terirble". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "terribly", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *tres- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *troséyeti Proto-Italic *trozeō Latin terreō Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlis Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin terribilisbor. Old French te… The correct English form is terrible, spelled T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Dreadful; causing terror, alarm and fear; awesome
  2. 2
    Formidable, powerful.
  3. 3
    Intense; extreme in degree or extent.
  4. 4
    Very unpleasant; disagreeable.
  5. 5
    Very bad; lousy.
  6. 6
    Prone to a particular temptation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how terrible appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The witch laid a terrible curse on him.
  2. People who have not been in Narnia sometimes think that a thing cannot be good and terrible at the same time. If the children had ever thought so, they were cured of it now. For when they tried to look at Aslan's face they just caught a glimpse of the golden mane and the great, royal, solemn, overwhelming eyes; and then they found they couldn't look at hi…

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *tres- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *troséyeti Proto-Italic *trozeō Latin terreō Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlis Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin terribilisbor. Old French terriblebor. Middle English terrible English terrible Inherited from Middle English terrible, from Old French terrible, from Latin terribilis (“frightful”), from terreō (“I frighten, terrify, alarm; I deter by terror, scare (away)”). Compare terror, deter. By surface analysis, terror + -ible.

Antonyms

excellent

This word in other languages

terrible(Español)terrible(Français)schrecklich(Deutsch)terrível(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • etrrible
  • terible
  • terirble
  • terrable
  • terrbile
  • terribble
  • terribel
  • terriblle
  • terrilbe
  • trerible
  • tterrible

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of terrible - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

etrrible2terible1terirble2terrable1terrbile2terribble1terribel2terriblle1
Edit distance from "terrible"

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

How do you spell "terrible"?
"terrible" is spelled T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɛɹəbl̩/.
What does "terrible" mean?
As an adjective, "terrible" means: Dreadful; causing terror, alarm and fear; awesome
What words are commonly confused with "terrible"?
"terrible" is commonly confused with "terribly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "terrible"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "terrible" is /ˈtɛɹəbl̩/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "terrible"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *tres- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *troséyeti Proto-Italic *trozeō Latin terreō Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlis Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin terribilisbor. Old... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "terrible", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

spending#2,015purchase#2,011proposed#2,010policies#2,008

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

turning11 variantsCanadian11 variantshundred11 variantswindows11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list