transgress

/tɹænzˈɡɹɛs/

//tɹænzˈɡɹɛs// verb

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

"transgress" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“transgress” is uncommon English (frequency #64,071 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,071
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To exceed or overstep some limit or boundary.

Corpus desk

Index EN-transgress · transgress · English

transgress · rank #64,071 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #64,071
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH Toole

Nearest frequency peer: Toole (-3 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.

Long-tail ranks near “transgress”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “transgress” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for transgress
PropertyValue
Headwordtransgress
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/tɹænzˈɡɹɛs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#64,071
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “transgress” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).transgressfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Toole” (#64,068), “Tomoko” (#64,067), “Trivandrum” (#64,075). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “transgress” is #64,071. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

transgress is uncommon English at frequency #64,071 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /tɹænzˈɡɹɛs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for transgress, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English transgressen, from Old French transgresser and Latin transgressus, past participle of transgredior. The correct English form is transgress, spelled T-R-A-N-S-G-R-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    To exceed or overstep some limit or boundary.
  2. 2
    To act in violation of some law.
  3. 3
    To commit an offense; to sin.
  4. 4
    To spread over land along a shoreline; to inundate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. surpassing common faith, transgressing nature's law
  2. They sometimes transgressed colonial boundaries, forming border communities with Native Americans and escaped black slaves.

Etymology

From Middle English transgressen, from Old French transgresser and Latin transgressus, past participle of transgredior.

Synonyms

forpasssurpasstranscend

This word in other languages

transgredir(Español)franchir(Français)transgredir(Português)

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 "transgress"?
"transgress" is spelled T-R-A-N-S-G-R-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /tɹænzˈɡɹɛs/.
What does "transgress" mean?
As a verb, "transgress" means: To exceed or overstep some limit or boundary.
How do you pronounce "transgress"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "transgress" is /tɹænzˈɡɹɛs/. 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 "transgress"?
From Middle English transgressen, from Old French transgresser and Latin transgressus, past participle of transgredior. 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 "transgress", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Trivandrum#64,075throwbacks#64,062unbeliever#64,090undefended#64,092

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list