tremble

/ˈtɹɛmbl̩/

//ˈtɹɛmbl̩// verb

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

"tremble" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tremble” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,681. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,681
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To shake, quiver, or vibrate.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tremble · tremble · English

tremble · rank #27,681 · 11 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,681
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH Toshiba

Nearest frequency peer: Toshiba (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “tremble”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “tremble” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

tremble vs tumble
71% similar
tremble vs trouble
71% similar
tremble vs Trimble
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for tremble
PropertyValue
Headwordtremble
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈtɹɛmbl̩/
Letters7
Frequency rank#27,681
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tremble”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).tremblelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Toshiba” (#27,680), “trillions” (#27,682), “toothed” (#27,679). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tremble” is #27,681. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around tremble (IPA /ˈtɹɛmbl̩/), averb. Corpus frequency is #27,681 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for tremble, with forms such as "rtemble", "termble", and "trebmle". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "tumble", "trouble", "Trimble", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English tremblen, from Old French trembler, from Late Latin tremulāre, ultimately from Latin tremere (“quiver, shake”). Cognate with Ancient Greek τρέμω (trémō). The correct English form is tremble, spelled T-R-E-M-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To shake, quiver, or vibrate.
  2. 2
    To fear; to be afraid.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Her lip started to tremble as she burst into tears
  2. The dog was trembling from being in the cold weather all day.

Etymology

From Middle English tremblen, from Old French trembler, from Late Latin tremulāre, ultimately from Latin tremere (“quiver, shake”). Cognate with Ancient Greek τρέμω (trémō).

This word in other languages

temblar(Español)trembler(Français)zittern(Deutsch)tremer(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rtemble
  • termble
  • trebmle
  • trembble
  • trembel
  • tremblle
  • tremlbe
  • tremmble
  • trmeble
  • trremble
  • ttremble

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tremble - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

rtemble2termble2trebmle2trembble1trembel2tremblle1tremlbe2tremmble1
Edit distance from "tremble"

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 "tremble"?
"tremble" is spelled T-R-E-M-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹɛmbl̩/.
What does "tremble" mean?
As a verb, "tremble" means: To shake, quiver, or vibrate.
What words are commonly confused with "tremble"?
"tremble" is commonly confused with "tumble", "trouble", "Trimble". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tremble"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tremble" is /ˈtɹɛmbl̩/. 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 "tremble"?
From Middle English tremblen, from Old French trembler, from Late Latin tremulāre, ultimately from Latin tremere (“quiver, shake”). Cognate with Ancient Greek τρέμω (trémō). 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 "tremble", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Toshiba#27,680toothed#27,679undated#27,686swelled#27,669

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Wilfred11 variantsyawning11 variantsStephan11 variantssquishy11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list