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PlainSpell

trailer

/ˈtɹeɪlɚ/noun, verb

trailer is spelled T-R-A-I-L-E-R: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 21 times per million words in written English, the 4,153rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, trailer means “Someone who or something that trails (follows behind); something that is trailing” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of trailer is trailers.

How many letters and syllables are in trailer?

Letters7: T-R-A-I-L-E-R
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing21 times per million words; the 4,153rd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with
Same letters

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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is trailer?

Trailer appears 21 times per million words in written English, the 4,153rd 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 trailer?

  • UK /ˈtɹeɪlə(ɹ)/
  • US /ˈtɹeɪlɚ/

Trailer 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-trailer.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-trailer.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with trailer?

10 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as trailer from its last stressed vowel (/eɪləɹ/):

Spelled with the same letters in another order: retrial, retiral.

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of trailer

  • trailers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • trailering participle, present
  • trailered participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does trailer mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    Someone who or something that trails (follows behind); something that is trailing.

  2. 2

    Part of an object which extends some distance beyond the main body of the object.

    the trailer of a plant

  3. 3

    An unpowered wheeled vehicle (not a caravan or camper) that is towed behind another, and used to carry equipment, etc., that cannot be carried in the leading vehicle.

    At the end of the day, we put the snowmobiles back on the trailer.

  4. 4

    USA furnished vehicle towed behind another, and used as a dwelling when stationary.

    We drove our trailer to Yellowstone Park.

  5. 5

    USA prefabricated home that could be towed to a new destination but is typically permanently left in an area designated for such homes.

    The young couple′s first home was in a trailer.

  6. 6

    USA preview of a film, video game or TV show.

    The trailer for that movie makes it seem like it would be fun.

  7. 7

    A short blank segment of film at the end of a reel, for convenient insertion of the film in a projector.

  8. 8

    The final record of a list of data items, often identified by a key field with an otherwise invalid value that sorts last alphabetically (e.g., “ZZZZZ”) or numerically (“99999”); especially common in the context of punched cards, where the final card is called a trailer card.

    The linked list terminates with a trailer record.

verb

  1. 1

    To load on a trailer or to transport by trailer.

    The engine wouldn't run any more so we had to trailer my old car to the wrecking yard.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How do you abbreviate trailer?

Wiktionary records one abbreviation of trailer: T.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Trailer in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
GermanAnhängsel, Anhang, Ausleger (part of an object which extends some distance…), Anhänger (unpowered wheeled vehicle that is towed behind…), Wohnwagen (furnished vehicle towed behind another, used as…), Mobilheim (prefabricated home that could be towed but…)
Frenchremorque (unpowered wheeled vehicle that is towed behind…), roulotte, caravane (furnished vehicle towed behind another, used as…), mobile home (prefabricated home that could be towed but…), bande-annonce, trailer (preview of a film)
Portuguesereboque, trailer, atrelado (unpowered wheeled vehicle that is towed behind…), caravana, rulote, roulotte (furnished vehicle towed behind another, used as…)
Spanishremolque, acoplado, tráiler (unpowered wheeled vehicle that is towed behind…), caravana, casa rodante, rulota (furnished vehicle towed behind another, used as…)

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 trailer come from?

From trail + -er. The film sense derives from the fact that previews were formerly shown after the main feature, rather than before as is usual today, that is trailing after the main feature.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after trailer