trade
/tɹeɪd/noun, verb, adjective
trade is spelled T-R-A-D-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 132 times per million words in written English, the 792nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, trade means “The buying and selling of goods and services on a market” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of trade is trades.
How many letters and syllables are in trade?
| Letters | 5: T-R-A-D-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 132 times per million words; the 792nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is trade?
Trade appears 132 times per million words in written English, the 792nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce trade?
- US /tɹeɪd/
Trade has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-trade.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-trade.wav, En-us-trade.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with trade?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as trade from its last stressed vowel (/eɪd/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: rated, tread, dater.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of trade
- trades plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- trading participle, present
- traded participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does trade mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The buying and selling of goods and services on a market.
- 2
A particular instance of buying or selling, or a series of related transactions executed as a single investment.
I did no trades with them once the rumors started.
- 3
An idea or strategy for an investment on a market.
"Sell America" is the latest trade on Wall Street.
- 4
An instance of bartering items in exchange for one another.
- 5
Those who perform a particular kind of skilled work.
The skilled trades were the first to organize modern labor unions.
- 6
Those engaged in an industry or group of related industries.
It is not a retail showroom. It is only for the trade.
- 7
The skilled practice of a practical occupation.
He learned his trade as an apprentice.
- 8
An occupation in the secondary sector, as opposed to an agricultural, professional or military one.
After failing his entrance exams, he decided to go into a trade.
verb
- 1
To engage in trade.
This company trades (in) precious metal.
- 2
To be traded at a certain price or under certain conditions.
Apple is trading at $200.
- 3
To give (something) in exchange (for).
Will you trade your precious watch for my earring?
- 4
To mutually exchange (something) (with).
The rival schoolboys traded insults and punches.
- 5
To use or exploit a particular aspect, such as a name, reputation, or image, to gain advantage or benefit.
Some musicians try to trade on their past success by playing the same hits over and over again.
- 6
To give someone a plant and receive a different one in return.
- 7
To do business; offer for sale as for one's livelihood.
- 8
To have dealings; to be concerned or associated (with).
adjective
- 1
Of a product, produced for sale in the ordinary bulk retail trade and hence of only the most basic quality.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Trade in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | commerce , magasin , négoce , corps de métier , ouvriers , commercer |
| German | Handel, Kommerz , Geschäft , Tausch , handeln |
| Portuguese | comércio , negócio , troca , ofício , freguesia , trocar |
| Spanish | comercio, compraventa, trocamiento , trueque , transa , comerciar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does trade come from?
From Middle English trade (“path, course of conduct”), introduced into English by Hanseatic merchants, from Middle Low German trade (“track, course”), from Old Saxon trada (“spoor, track”), from Proto-West Germanic *tradu, from Proto-Germanic *tradō (“track, way”), and cognate with Old English tredan (“to tread”); ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dreh₂- (“to tread, walk, step, run”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).