traverse
tra·verse/tɹəˈvɝs/noun, verb, adverb, adjective
traverse is spelled T-R-A-V-E-R-S-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables (tra·verse). It appears 2.5 times per million words in written English, the 17,122nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, traverse means “A route used in mountaineering, specifically rock climbing, in which the descent occurs by a different route than the ascent” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of traverse is traverses.
How many letters and syllables are in traverse?
| Letters | 8: T-R-A-V-E-R-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: tra·verse |
| In writing | 2.5 times per million words; the 17,122nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is traverse?
Traverse appears 2.5 times per million words in written English, the 17,122nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce traverse?
- US /tɹəˈvɝs/
- UK /tɹəˈvɜːs/
- US /ˈtɹævɚs/
Traverse has 2 syllables, split tra·verse in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-traverse.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with traverse?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as traverse from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹs/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of traverse
- traverses plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- traversing participle, present
- traversed participle, past
- more traverse comparative
- most traverse superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does traverse mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A route used in mountaineering, specifically rock climbing, in which the descent occurs by a different route than the ascent.
- 2
A series of points, with angles and distances measured between, traveled around a subject, usually for use as "control" i.e. angular reference system for later surveying work.
- 3
obsoleteA screen or partition.
- 4
Something that thwarts or obstructs.
He will succeed, as long as there are no unlucky traverses not under his control.
- 5
A gallery or loft of communication from side to side of a church or other large building.
- 6
A formal denial of some matter of fact alleged by the opposite party in any stage of the pleadings. The technical words introducing a traverse are absque hoc ("without this", i.e. without what follows).
- 7
The zigzag course or courses made by a ship in passing from one place to another; a compound course.
- 8
A line lying across a figure or other lines; a transversal.
verb
- 1
To travel across, to go through, to pass through, particularly under difficult conditions.
He will have to traverse the mountain to get to the other side.
- 2
To visit all parts of; to explore thoroughly.
to traverse all nodes in a network
- 3
To lay in a cross direction; to cross.
- 4
To rotate a gun around a vertical axis to bear upon a military target.
to traverse a cannon
- 5
To climb or descend a steep hill at a wide angle (relative to the slope).
- 6
To (make a cutting, an incline) across the gradients of a sloped face at safe rate.
the road traversed the face of the ridge as the right-of-way climbed the mountain
- 7
To act against; to thwart or obstruct.
- 8
To pass over and view; to survey carefully.
My purpose is to […] traverse the nature, principles, and properties of this detestable vice–ingratitude.
adverb
- 1
athwart; across; crosswise
adjective
- 1
Lying across; being in a direction across something else.
paths cut with traverse trenches
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate traverse?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of traverse: trv..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Traverse in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to travel across, often under difficult conditions:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | franchir, traverser |
| German | durchkreuzen, durchqueren, überqueren |
| Portuguese | atravessar, transir |
| Spanish | atravesar, cruzar, travesar, recorrer |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does traverse come from?
From Middle English traversen, from Old French traverser, from Latin trans (“across”) + versus (“turned”), perfect passive participle of Latin vertere (“to turn”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).