tragic
/ˈtɹæd͡ʒɪk/adjective, noun
tragic is spelled T-R-A-G-I-C: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,230th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, tragic means “Causing great sadness or suffering” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in tragic?
| Letters | 6: T-R-A-G-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 12 times per million words; the 6,230th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is tragic?
Tragic appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,230th 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 tragic?
- /ˈtɹæd͡ʒɪk/
Tragic has 2 syllables (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-au-tragic.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of tragic
- more tragic comparative
- most tragic superlative
- tragick
- tragics plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tragic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Causing great sadness or suffering.
Her father's early death was tragic.
- 2
Relating to tragedy in a literary work.
- 3
Having been the victim of a tragedy.
- 4
informalCringeworthy; tryhard; unhip; embarrassing; hopeless; indicative of (or having) a chronic lack of self-awareness.
That dress is tragic.
noun
- 1
AustraliacolloquialAn obsessive fan, a superfan
I'm a fan of rugby league. I'm a tragic of rugby league.
- 2
obsoleteA writer of tragedy.
- 3
obsoleteA tragedy; a tragic drama.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tragic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense causing great sadness:
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 tragic come from?
From Ancient Greek τραγικός (tragikós, “of or relating to tragedy”), from τράγος (trágos, “male goat”), a reference to the goat-satyrs of the theatrical plays of the Dorians.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).