tragic

/ˈtɹæd͡ʒɪk/

//ˈtɹæd͡ʒɪk// adj

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

"tragic" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tragic” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,307. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,307
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Causing great sadness or suffering.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tragic · tragic · English

tragic · rank #6,307 · 9 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,307
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH torn

Nearest frequency peer: torn (-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 “tragic”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tragic” 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).

tragic vs train
67% similar
tragic vs trail
67% similar
tragic vs trait
67% similar

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

Key facts for tragic
PropertyValue
Headwordtragic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈtɹæd͡ʒɪk/
Letters6
Frequency rank#6,307
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tragic”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).tragiclands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “torn” (#6,306), “trainer” (#6,308), “tooth” (#6,305). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tragic” is #6,307. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around tragic (IPA /ˈtɹæd͡ʒɪk/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #6,307 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for tragic, with forms such as "rtagic", "targic", and "tragci". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "train", "trail", "trait", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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. The correct English form is tragic, spelled T-R-A-G-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Causing great sadness or suffering.
  2. 2
    Relating to tragedy in a literary work.
  3. 3
    Having been the victim of a tragedy.
  4. 4
    Cringeworthy; tryhard; unhip; embarrassing; hopeless; indicative of (or having) a chronic lack of self-awareness.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Her father's early death was tragic.
  2. Few concepts are as emotionally charged as that of race. The word conjures up a mixture of associations—culture, ethnicity, genetics, subjugation, exclusion and persecution. But is the tragic history of efforts to define groups of people by race really a matter of the misuse of science, the abuse of a valid biological concept?

Etymology

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.

This word in other languages

trágico(Español)tragique(Français)tragisch(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rtagic
  • targic
  • tragci
  • traggic
  • tragicc
  • traigc
  • trgaic
  • trragic
  • ttragic

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tragic - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

rtagic2targic2tragci2traggic1tragicc1traigc2trgaic2trragic1
Edit distance from "tragic"

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 "tragic"?
"tragic" is spelled T-R-A-G-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹæd͡ʒɪk/.
What does "tragic" mean?
As an adjective, "tragic" means: Causing great sadness or suffering.
What words are commonly confused with "tragic"?
"tragic" is commonly confused with "train", "trail", "trait". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tragic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tragic" is /ˈtɹæd͡ʒɪk/. 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 "tragic"?
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. 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 "tragic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

throws#6,303tastes#6,302subtle#6,301adjust#6,320

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Austria9 variantsavoided9 variantsbasket9 variantspastor9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list