transpose

/tɹænsˈpəʊz/

//tɹænsˈpəʊz// verb

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

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

The verdict

“transpose” is uncommon English (frequency #50,851 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,851
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To reverse or change the order of (two or more things); to swap or interchange.

Corpus desk

Index EN-transpose · transpose · English

transpose · rank #50,851 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #50,851
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH TRAC

Nearest frequency peer: TRAC (-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 “transpose”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for transpose
PropertyValue
Headwordtranspose
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/tɹænsˈpəʊz/
Letters9
Frequency rank#50,851
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “transpose” 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).transposefalls 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: “TRAC” (#50,850), “transposition” (#50,852), “tourniquet” (#50,849). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “transpose” is #50,851. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

transpose is uncommon English at frequency #50,851 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /tɹænsˈpəʊz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for transpose, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English transposen, from Old French transposer, from Latin trānspositus, perfect passive participle of trānspōnō (“to put across”), from trāns (“across”) + pōnō (“to put”). The correct English form is transpose, spelled T-R-A-N-S-P-O-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To reverse or change the order of (two or more things); to swap or interchange.
  2. 2
    To rewrite or perform (a piece) in another key.
  3. 3
    To move (a term) from one side of an algebraic equation to the other, reversing the sign of the term.
  4. 4
    To rearrange elements in a matrix, by interchanging their respective row and column positional indicators.
  5. 5
    To reverse the direction of every edge of (a graph).
  6. 6
    To give force to a directive by passing appropriate implementation measures.
  7. 7
    To reach a position that may also be obtained from a different move order.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. After e6, the opening transposed to a Sicilian.

Etymology

From Middle English transposen, from Old French transposer, from Latin trānspositus, perfect passive participle of trānspōnō (“to put across”), from trāns (“across”) + pōnō (“to put”).

Synonyms

exchangeinterchangeswapswap overswap roundswitch

This word in other languages

transponer(Español)transposer(Français)vertauschen(Deutsch)passar(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 "transpose"?
"transpose" is spelled T-R-A-N-S-P-O-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /tɹænsˈpəʊz/.
What does "transpose" mean?
As a verb, "transpose" means: To reverse or change the order of (two or more things); to swap or interchange.
How do you pronounce "transpose"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "transpose" is /tɹænsˈpəʊz/. 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 "transpose"?
From Middle English transposen, from Old French transposer, from Latin trānspositus, perfect passive participle of trānspōnō (“to put across”), from trāns (“across”) + pōnō (“to put”). 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 "transpose", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

timepiece#50,847Turkestan#50,860thereupon#50,839unanimity#50,867

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list