triage

/ˈtɹiː.ɑːʒ/

//ˈtɹiː.ɑːʒ// noun

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

"triage" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“triage” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #33,466 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#33,466
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Assessment or sorting according to quality, need, etc., especially to determine how resources will be allocated.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

triage vs trig
67% similar
triage vs trial
67% similar
triage vs tribe
67% similar

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

Key facts for triage
PropertyValue
Headwordtriage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɹiː.ɑːʒ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#33,466
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “triage” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). triage lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for triage is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈtɹiː.ɑːʒ/. Corpus data places it at rank #33,466 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.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for triage, with forms such as "rtiage", "tirage", and "traige". 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 16 confusable-pair relationships, "trig", "trial", "tribe", 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 French triage, from trier (“to sort”). The correct English form is triage, spelled T-R-I-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Assessment or sorting according to quality, need, etc., especially to determine how resources will be allocated.
  2. 2
    The process of sorting patients so as to determine the order in which they will be treated (for example, by assigning precedence according to the urgency of illness or injury).
  3. 3
    The process of prioritizing bugs to be fixed.
  4. 4
    That which is picked out, especially broken coffee beans.
  5. 5
    A marshalling yard, classification yard.

Etymology

From French triage, from trier (“to sort”).

This word in other languages

sorteo(Español)Auswahl(Deutsch)triagem(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: rtiage,tirage,traige,triaeg,triagge,trigae,trriage,ttriage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of triage - 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.

rtiage2tirage2traige2triaeg2triagge1trigae2trriage1ttriage1
Edit distance from "triage"

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 "triage"?
"triage" is spelled T-R-I-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹiː.ɑːʒ/.
What does "triage" mean?
As a noun, "triage" means: Assessment or sorting according to quality, need, etc., especially to determine how resources will be allocated.
What words are commonly confused with "triage"?
"triage" is commonly confused with "trig", "trial", "tribe". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "triage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "triage" is /ˈtɹiː.ɑːʒ/. 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 "triage"?
From French triage, from trier (“to sort”). 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.

Using “triage”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is T-R-I-A-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈtɹiː.ɑːʒ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “trig” - see the side-by-side comparison. triage vs trig
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list