# trachea

> English word · Noun · IPA /tɹəˈkiː.ə/ · frequency rank #42,958

## Definitions
1. A thin-walled, cartilaginous tube connecting the larynx to the bronchi.
2. The xylem vessel.
3. One of the cuticle-lined primary tubes in the respiratory system of an insect, which extend throughout its body.

## Etymology
From late Middle English, from Medieval Latin trāchēa (“the windpipe”) (also borrowed as Late Latin trāchīa), from Ancient Greek τρᾱχεῖᾰ ᾰ̓ρτηρῐ́ᾱ (trākheîă ărtērĭ́ā, “windpipe, trachea”).

## Easily confused with
- **tracked** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/trachea-vs-tracked)
- **tracker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/trachea-vs-tracker)
- **trashed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/trachea-vs-trashed)
- **trace** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/trace-vs-trachea)
- **traces** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/traces-vs-trachea)
- **traced** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/traced-vs-trachea)
- **Tracey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tracey-vs-trachea)
- **tracer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tracer-vs-trachea)
- **teacher** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/teacher-vs-trachea)

## Common misspellings (10)
`rtachea`, `tarchea`, `tracchea`, `traceha`, `trachae`, `trachhea`, `trahcea`, `trcahea`, `trrachea`, `ttrachea`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/trachea