transpire
/tɹænˈspaɪ̯ə(ɹ)/
"transpire" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“transpire” is an uncommon English word, ranked #62,582 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #62,582
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To give off (vapour, waste matter etc.); to exhale (an odour etc.).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | transpire |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /tɹænˈspaɪ̯ə(ɹ)/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #62,582 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “transpire” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for transpire is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /tɹænˈspaɪ̯ə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #62,582 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1To give off (vapour, waste matter etc.); to exhale (an odour etc.).
- 2To perspire.
- 3Of plants, to give off water and waste products through the stomata.
- 4To become known; to escape from secrecy.
- 5To happen, take place.
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
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"?
What does "transpire" mean?
How do you pronounce "transpire"?
What is the origin of the word "transpire"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “transpire”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is T-R-A-N-S-P-I-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /tɹænˈspaɪ̯ə(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.