triangle

/ˈtɹaɪəŋɡəl/

//ˈtɹaɪəŋɡəl// noun

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

"triangle" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“triangle” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,993. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,993
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A polygon with three sides and three angles.

Corpus desk

Index EN-triangle · triangle · English

triangle · rank #7,993 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,993
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH treasurer

Nearest frequency peer: treasurer (-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 “triangle”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “triangle” 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).

triangle vs tangle
75% similar
triangle vs triage
75% similar
triangle vs tingle
75% similar

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

Key facts for triangle
PropertyValue
Headwordtriangle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɹaɪəŋɡəl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#7,993
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “triangle”

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).trianglelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “treasurer” (#7,992), “unclear” (#7,994), “translate” (#7,991). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “triangle” is #7,993. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around triangle (IPA /ˈtɹaɪəŋɡəl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,993 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for triangle, with forms such as "rtiangle", "tirangle", and "traingle". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "tangle", "triage", "tingle", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *tréyes From Middle English triangle, from Old French triangle, from Latin triangulum, noun use of adjective triangulus (“three-cornered, having three angles”), from trēs (“three”) + angulus (“corner, angle”), equivalent to tri- + -angle. The correct English form is triangle, spelled T-R-I-A-N-G-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A polygon with three sides and three angles.
  2. 2
    A set square.
  3. 3
    A percussion instrument made by forming a metal rod into a triangular shape which is open at one angle. It is suspended from a string and hit with a metal bar to make a resonant sound.
  4. 4
    A triangular piece of equipment used for gathering the balls into the formation required by the game being played.
  5. 5
    A love triangle.
  6. 6
    The structure of systems composed with three interrelated objects.
  7. 7
    A draughtsman's square in the form of a right-angled triangle.
  8. 8
    A frame formed of three poles stuck in the ground and united at the top, to which people were bound for corporal punishment.
  9. 9
    Any of various large papilionid butterflies of the genus Graphium.
  10. 10
    A triangular formation of railway tracks, with a curve on at least one side.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The wedge-shaped character was the triangle, the archaic Paleolithic sign of the vulva; the pubic triangle was at the end of the phallic stylus.
  2. One of the writers' most pleasing inventions was to treat the triangle love story as comedy.

Etymology

PIE word *tréyes From Middle English triangle, from Old French triangle, from Latin triangulum, noun use of adjective triangulus (“three-cornered, having three angles”), from trēs (“three”) + angulus (“corner, angle”), equivalent to tri- + -angle.

Synonyms

threesidetrigonlove trianglemenage à trois△triangle

This word in other languages

triángulo(Español)triangle(Français)Dreieck(Deutsch)triângulo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rtiangle
  • tirangle
  • traingle
  • triagnle
  • triangel
  • trianggle
  • trianglle
  • trianlge
  • trianngle
  • trinagle
  • trriangle
  • ttriangle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of triangle - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

rtiangle2tirangle2traingle2triagnle2triangel2trianggle1trianglle1trianlge2
Edit distance from "triangle"

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 "triangle"?
"triangle" is spelled T-R-I-A-N-G-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹaɪəŋɡəl/.
What does "triangle" mean?
As a noun, "triangle" means: A polygon with three sides and three angles.
What words are commonly confused with "triangle"?
"triangle" is commonly confused with "tangle", "triage", "tingle". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "triangle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "triangle" is /ˈtɹaɪəŋɡəl/. 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 "triangle"?
PIE word *tréyes From Middle English triangle, from Old French triangle, from Latin triangulum, noun use of adjective triangulus (“three-cornered, having three angles”), from trēs (“three”) + angulus (“corner, angle”), equivalent to tri- + -angle. 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 "triangle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

thankful#7,990Vladimir#7,998Sullivan#7,986absorbed#8,001

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

treasurer12 variantsVenezuela12 variantssteering12 variantsaffection12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list