traitor
/ˈtɹeɪtɚ/noun, verb, adjective
traitor is spelled T-R-A-I-T-O-R: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 4.9 times per million words in written English, the 11,373rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “trader vs traitor” about 210 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, traitor means “Someone who violates an allegiance and betrays their country; someone guilty of treason; one who, in breach of trust, delivers their country to an…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of traitor is traitors.
How many letters and syllables are in traitor?
| Letters | 7: T-R-A-I-T-O-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.9 times per million words; the 11,373rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Rhymes with |
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); 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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is traitor?
Traitor appears 4.9 times per million words in written English, the 11,373rd 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 traitor?
- UK /ˈtɹeɪtə(ɹ)/
- US /ˈtɹeɪtɚ/
- US [ˈtʰɹeɪɾɚ]
Traitor 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-us-traitor.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with traitor
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).
What rhymes with traitor?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as traitor from its last stressed vowel (/eɪtəɹ/):
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 traitor
- traitors plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- traitoring participle, present
- traitored participle, past
- more traitor comparative
- most traitor superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does traitor mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Someone who violates an allegiance and betrays their country; someone guilty of treason; one who, in breach of trust, delivers their country to an enemy, or yields up any fort or place entrusted to their defense, or surrenders an army or body of troops to the enemy, unless when vanquished.
After World War I, the communists and Jews were accused to be traitors by the German right wing (the "stab-in-the-back myth"), ultimately culminating in their persecution and massacre.
- 2
Someone who takes arms and levies war against their country; or one who aids an enemy in conquering their country.
- 3
One who betrays any confidence or trust.
verb
- 1
To act the traitor toward; to betray; to deceive.
adjective
- 1
Traitorous.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Traitor in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | traître, traîtresse |
| German | Verräter, Verräterin |
| Portuguese | traidor, traidora |
| Spanish | traidor, traidora, serpiente, proditor (disused) , kalé |
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 traitor come from?
From Middle English traitor, traitour, traytour, from Old French traïtor (French traître), from Latin trāditor. Displaced native Middle English swike from Old English swica (“traitor”), and Middle English proditour and traditour borrowed directly from Latin. The general Old English word denoting "traitor" was lǣwa or lǣwend. Doublet of traditor and treason.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).