tracery

/ˈtɹeɪsəɹi/

//ˈtɹeɪsəɹi// noun

"tracery" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tracery” is uncommon English (frequency #70,339 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#70,339
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Bars or ribs, usually of stone or wood, or other material, that subdivide an opening or stand in relief against a door or wall as an ornamental feature.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tracery · tracery · English

tracery · rank #70,339 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #70,339
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH Totnes

Nearest frequency peer: Totnes (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “tracery”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “tracery” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for tracery
PropertyValue
Headwordtracery
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɹeɪsəɹi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#70,339
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “tracery” in English

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).traceryfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Totnes” (#70,338), “Travancore” (#70,341), “triode” (#70,343). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tracery” is #70,339. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tracery is uncommon English at frequency #70,339 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtɹeɪsəɹi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for tracery in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From trace + -ery. The correct English form is tracery, spelled T-R-A-C-E-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Bars or ribs, usually of stone or wood, or other material, that subdivide an opening or stand in relief against a door or wall as an ornamental feature.
  2. 2
    A delicate interlacing of lines reminiscent of the architectural ornament.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Because of the flamelike undulations of its window tracery, the Norman archæologist, M. de Caumont, who had brought into use the name Romanesque, invented the equally useful term Flamboyant.
  2. He is homesick for the hale rough weather; for the tracery of the frost upon his window-panes at morning, the reluctant descent of the first flakes, and the white roofs relieved against the sombre sky.

Etymology

From trace + -ery.

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

How do you spell "tracery"?
"tracery" is spelled T-R-A-C-E-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹeɪsəɹi/.
What does "tracery" mean?
As a noun, "tracery" means: Bars or ribs, usually of stone or wood, or other material, that subdivide an opening or stand in relief against a door or wall as an ornamental feature.
How do you pronounce "tracery"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tracery" is /ˈtɹeɪsəɹi/. 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 "tracery"?
From trace + -ery. 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 "tracery", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list