triathlon
/tɹaɪˈæθlɒn/
"triathlon" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“triathlon” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #21,101 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #21,101
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An athletics event in which contestants compete in swimming, cycling and running in turn.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | triathlon |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /tɹaɪˈæθlɒn/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #21,101 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “triathlon” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for triathlon is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /tɹaɪˈæθlɒn/. Corpus data places it at rank #21,101 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for triathlon, with forms such as "rtiathlon", "tirathlon", and "traithlon". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From tri- + -athlon. The correct English form is triathlon, spelled T-R-I-A-T-H-L-O-N.
Definition
- 1An athletics event in which contestants compete in swimming, cycling and running in turn.
- 2A former Olympic athletics event in which contestants compete in long jump, shot put, and 100-yard dash.
- 3Generally, a sports event in which contestant compete in a combination of three sports.
Etymology
From tri- + -athlon.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: rtiathlon,tirathlon,traithlon,triahtlon,triathhlon,triathllon,triathlno,triathlonn,triatholn,triatlhon,triatthlon,tritahlon,trriathlon,ttriathlon
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of triathlon - 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.
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 "triathlon"?
What does "triathlon" mean?
What are common misspellings of "triathlon"?
How do you pronounce "triathlon"?
What is the origin of the word "triathlon"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “triathlon”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is T-R-I-A-T-H-L-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /tɹaɪˈæθlɒn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.