transgene

noun

"transgene" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“transgene” is uncommon English (frequency #96,591 among 27,828 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#96,591
frequency rank, English
27,828
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A gene from one species introduced into the genome of another by transgenesis.

Corpus desk

Index EN-transgene · transgene · English

transgene · rank #96,591 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #96,591
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 27,828
  • PHOTO-FINISH transcriptome

Nearest frequency peer: transcriptome (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “transgene”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “transgene” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for transgene
PropertyValue
Headwordtransgene
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters9
Frequency rank#96,591
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “transgene” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). transgene lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

transgene is uncommon English at frequency #96,591 among 27,828 “T” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A gene from one species introduced into the genome of another by transgenesis.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for transgene, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From trans- + gene, from 1980s. The correct English form is transgene, spelled T-R-A-N-S-G-E-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A gene from one species introduced into the genome of another by transgenesis.

Etymology

From trans- + gene, from 1980s.

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); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "transgene"?
"transgene" is spelled T-R-A-N-S-G-E-N-E.
What does "transgene" mean?
As a noun, "transgene" means: A gene from one species introduced into the genome of another by transgenesis.
What is the origin of the word "transgene"?
From trans- + gene, from 1980s. 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 "transgene", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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