tragedy
trag·e·dy/ˈtɹæd͡ʒ.ɪ.di/noun
tragedy is spelled T-R-A-G-E-D-Y: 7 letters and 3 syllables (trag·e·dy). It appears 14 times per million words in written English, the 5,679th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “tragedy vs travesty” about 1,900 times a month (Google, United States). 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…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tragedy is tragedies.
How many letters and syllables are in tragedy?
| Letters | 7: T-R-A-G-E-D-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: trag·e·dy |
| In writing | 14 times per million words; the 5,679th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is tragedy?
Tragedy appears 14 times per million words in written English, the 5,679th 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 tragedy?
- UK /ˈtɹæd͡ʒ.ɪ.di/
- US /ˈtɹæd͡ʒ.ɪ.di/
- US /ˈtɹæd͡ʒ.ə.di/
Tragedy has 3 syllables, split trag·e·dy in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-tragedy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with tragedy
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of tragedy
- tragedies plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tragedy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 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
The genre of such works, and the art of producing them.
- 3
A disastrous event, especially one involving great loss of life or injury.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate tragedy?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of tragedy: tr..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tragedy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | tragédie , drame |
| German | Tragödie |
| Portuguese | tragédia , desastre, catástrofe |
| Spanish | tragedia |
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 tragedy come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).