tragicomedy

/ˌtɹædʒɪˈkɒmədi/

//ˌtɹædʒɪˈkɒmədi// noun

"tragicomedy" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tragicomedy” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The genre of drama that combines elements of tragedy and comedy.

Key facts for tragicomedy
PropertyValue
Headwordtragicomedy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌtɹædʒɪˈkɒmədi/
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tragicomedy” sits in English frequency

tragicomedy falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tragicomedy is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌtɹædʒɪˈkɒmədi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for tragicomedy in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French tragicomédie (whence French tragicomédie), itself borrowed from Italian tragicommedia, from Latin tragicōmoedia, tragicocōmoedia. By surface analysis, tragic + comedy, with haplology. The correct English form is tragicomedy, spelled T-R-A-G-I-C-O-M-E-D-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The genre of drama that combines elements of tragedy and comedy.
  2. 2
    A drama that combines elements of tragedy and comedy.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French tragicomédie (whence French tragicomédie), itself borrowed from Italian tragicommedia, from Latin tragicōmoedia, tragicocōmoedia. By surface analysis, tragic + comedy, with haplology.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tragicomedy"?
"tragicomedy" is spelled T-R-A-G-I-C-O-M-E-D-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌtɹædʒɪˈkɒmədi/.
What does "tragicomedy" mean?
As a noun, "tragicomedy" means: The genre of drama that combines elements of tragedy and comedy.
How do you pronounce "tragicomedy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tragicomedy" is /ˌtɹædʒɪˈkɒmədi/. 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 "tragicomedy"?
Borrowed from Middle French tragicomédie (whence French tragicomédie), itself borrowed from Italian tragicommedia, from Latin tragicōmoedia, tragicocōmoedia. By surface analysis, tragic + comedy, with haplology. 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.

Using “tragicomedy”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is T-R-A-G-I-C-O-M-E-D-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌtɹædʒɪˈkɒmədi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list