transpire

/tɹænˈspaɪ̯ə(ɹ)/

//tɹænˈspaɪ̯ə(ɹ)// verb

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

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

The verdict

“transpire” is uncommon English (frequency #62,582 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#62,582
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To give off (vapour, waste matter etc.); to exhale (an odour etc.).

Corpus desk

Index EN-transpire · transpire · English

transpire · rank #62,582 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #62,582
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH toucan

Nearest frequency peer: toucan (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “transpire”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for transpire
PropertyValue
Headwordtranspire
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/tɹænˈspaɪ̯ə(ɹ)/
Letters9
Frequency rank#62,582
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “transpire” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “toucan” (#62,581), “trifles” (#62,583), “tortoiseshell” (#62,580). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “transpire” is #62,582. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

transpire is uncommon English at frequency #62,582 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /tɹænˈspaɪ̯ə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

transpire has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French transpirer, from Medieval Latin transpirare (“to breathe through”), from Latin trans (“across”) spirare (“to breathe”). The sense “to become known” is also present in French, while the sense “to happen” is not; the latter probabl… The correct English form is transpire, spelled T-R-A-N-S-P-I-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To give off (vapour, waste matter etc.); to exhale (an odour etc.).
  2. 2
    To perspire.
  3. 3
    Of plants, to give off water and waste products through the stomata.
  4. 4
    To become known; to escape from secrecy.
  5. 5
    To happen, take place.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It eventually transpired that the murder victim had been a notorious blackmailer.
  2. The story of Paulina's and Maximilian's mutual attachment had transpired through many of the travellers.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French transpirer, from Medieval Latin transpirare (“to breathe through”), from Latin trans (“across”) spirare (“to breathe”). The sense “to become known” is also present in French, while the sense “to happen” is not; the latter probably developed in English from the former.

This word in other languages

transpirer(Français)

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 "transpire"?
"transpire" is spelled T-R-A-N-S-P-I-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /tɹænˈspaɪ̯ə(ɹ)/.
What does "transpire" mean?
As a verb, "transpire" means: To give off (vapour, waste matter etc.); to exhale (an odour etc.).
How do you pronounce "transpire"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "transpire" is /tɹænˈspaɪ̯ə(ɹ)/. 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 "transpire"?
Borrowed from Middle French transpirer, from Medieval Latin transpirare (“to breathe through”), from Latin trans (“across”) spirare (“to breathe”). The sense “to become known” is also present in French, while the sense “to happen” is not; the latt... 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 "transpire", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Thibodeau#62,570terrarium#62,567talismans#62,555tactfully#62,553

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list