trebuchet

/ˈtɹɛbəʃɛt/

//ˈtɹɛbəʃɛt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“trebuchet” is uncommon English (frequency #87,921 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#87,921
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A medieval siege engine consisting of a large pivoting arm heavily weighted on one end.

Corpus desk

Index EN-trebuchet · trebuchet · English

trebuchet · rank #87,921 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #87,921
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH transpersonal

Nearest frequency peer: transpersonal (-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 “trebuchet”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for trebuchet
PropertyValue
Headwordtrebuchet
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɹɛbəʃɛt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#87,921
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “trebuchet” 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).trebuchetfalls 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: “transpersonal” (#87,920), “transhumanism” (#87,919), “trie” (#87,923). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “trebuchet” is #87,921. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

trebuchet is uncommon English at frequency #87,921 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtɹɛbəʃɛt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for trebuchet in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French trebuchet, trebuket et al. (modern trébuchet), from trebuchier (“to overthrow, topple”), from tres- + *buchier, from Old French buc (“trunk of the body”), from Old Frankish *būk (“belly, trunk, torso”), from Proto-Germanic *būkaz (“belly, ab… The correct English form is trebuchet, spelled T-R-E-B-U-C-H-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A medieval siege engine consisting of a large pivoting arm heavily weighted on one end.
  2. 2
    A torture device for dunking suspected witches by means of a chair attached to the end of a long pole.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Medieval trebuchets are said to have been capable of launching 90-kg projectiles over distances of more than 300 meters.
  2. With counterweight trebuchets at its disposal, a besieging force at last had the advantage in sieges, and it was probably the appearance of the trebuchet which prompted the changes in castle design from the mid-twelfth century onwards which were described in the previous chapter: the move from rectangular to round or multiform towers […]

Etymology

From Old French trebuchet, trebuket et al. (modern trébuchet), from trebuchier (“to overthrow, topple”), from tres- + *buchier, from Old French buc (“trunk of the body”), from Old Frankish *būk (“belly, trunk, torso”), from Proto-Germanic *būkaz (“belly, abdomen, trunk”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰōw- (“to blow, swell”). Cognate with Old High German būh (“belly”), Old English būc (“belly, trunk”). More at bouk.

This word in other languages

fundíbulo(Español)trébuchet(Français)Blide(Deutsch)

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 "trebuchet"?
"trebuchet" is spelled T-R-E-B-U-C-H-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹɛbəʃɛt/.
What does "trebuchet" mean?
As a noun, "trebuchet" means: A medieval siege engine consisting of a large pivoting arm heavily weighted on one end.
How do you pronounce "trebuchet"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "trebuchet" is /ˈtɹɛbəʃɛt/. 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 "trebuchet"?
From Old French trebuchet, trebuket et al. (modern trébuchet), from trebuchier (“to overthrow, topple”), from tres- + *buchier, from Old French buc (“trunk of the body”), from Old Frankish *būk (“belly, trunk, torso”), from Proto-Germanic *būkaz (... 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 "trebuchet", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Tillotson#87,907unbeknown#87,937theorised#87,903unordered#87,946

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list