tragedy

/ˈtɹæd͡ʒɛdi/

//ˈtɹæd͡ʒɛdi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“tragedy” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,746. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,746
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A drama or similar work, in which the main character is brought to ruin or otherwise suffers the extreme consequences of some tragic flaw or weakness of character.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tragedy · tragedy · English

tragedy · rank #5,746 · 11 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,746
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH Tours

Nearest frequency peer: Tours (-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 “tragedy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tragedy” 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).

tragedy vs traded
71% similar
tragedy vs traced
71% similar
tragedy vs Tracey
57% similar

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

Key facts for tragedy
PropertyValue
Headwordtragedy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɹæd͡ʒɛdi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#5,746
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tragedy”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).tragedylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Tours” (#5,745), “trauma” (#5,747), “thunder” (#5,744). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tragedy” is #5,746. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around tragedy (IPA /ˈtɹæd͡ʒɛdi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,746 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for tragedy, with forms such as "rtagedy", "targedy", and "traegdy". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "traded", "traced", "Tracey", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From the Middle English tragedie, from the Old French tragedie, from the Latin tragoedia, from the Ancient Greek τραγῳδία (tragōidía, “epic play, tragedy”), from τράγος (trágos, “male goat”) + ᾠδή (ōidḗ, “song”), possibly a reference to the goat-satyrs of t… The correct English form is tragedy, spelled T-R-A-G-E-D-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A drama or similar work, in which the main character is brought to ruin or otherwise suffers the extreme consequences of some tragic flaw or weakness of character.
  2. 2
    The genre of such works, and the art of producing them.
  3. 3
    A disastrous event, especially one involving great loss of life or injury.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. “The story of this adoption is, of course, the pivot round which all the circumstances of the mysterious tragedy revolved. Mrs. Yule had an only son, namely, William, to whom she was passionately attached; but, like many a fond mother, she had the desire of mapping out that son's future entirely according to her own ideas.[…]”
  2. […] last month's flooding in the Buffalo Creek Valley […]. The tragedy took more than one hundred lives[…]

Etymology

From the Middle English tragedie, from the Old French tragedie, from the Latin tragoedia, from the Ancient Greek τραγῳδία (tragōidía, “epic play, tragedy”), from τράγος (trágos, “male goat”) + ᾠδή (ōidḗ, “song”), possibly a reference to the goat-satyrs of the theatrical plays of the Dorians, or according to Beekes possibly to a goat given as prize, though the etymology remains uncertain.

This word in other languages

tragedia(Español)tragédie(Français)Tragödie(Deutsch)tragédia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rtagedy
  • targedy
  • traegdy
  • tragdey
  • trageddy
  • tragedyy
  • trageyd
  • traggedy
  • trgaedy
  • trragedy
  • ttragedy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tragedy - 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.

rtagedy2targedy2traegdy2tragdey2trageddy1tragedyy1trageyd2traggedy1
Edit distance from "tragedy"

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 "tragedy"?
"tragedy" is spelled T-R-A-G-E-D-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹæd͡ʒɛdi/.
What does "tragedy" mean?
As a noun, "tragedy" means: A drama or similar work, in which the main character is brought to ruin or otherwise suffers the extreme consequences of some tragic flaw or weakness of character.
What words are commonly confused with "tragedy"?
"tragedy" is commonly confused with "traded", "traced", "Tracey". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tragedy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tragedy" is /ˈtɹæd͡ʒɛdi/. 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 "tragedy"?
From the Middle English tragedie, from the Old French tragedie, from the Latin tragoedia, from the Ancient Greek τραγῳδία (tragōidía, “epic play, tragedy”), from τράγος (trágos, “male goat”) + ᾠδή (ōidḗ, “song”), possibly a reference to the goat-s... 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 "tragedy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

thunder#5,744Vincent#5,748teenage#5,743acquire#5,752

Similar misspelling depth

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

succeeded11 variantscircles11 variantsmuscles11 variantsjustify11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list