tribalism

/ˈtɹaɪ.bə.lɪ.zəm/

//ˈtɹaɪ.bə.lɪ.zəm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“tribalism” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #42,962. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#42,962
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The condition of being tribal.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tribalism · tribalism · English

tribalism · rank #42,962 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #42,962
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH treasonous

Nearest frequency peer: treasonous (-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 “tribalism”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tribalism” 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
Key facts for tribalism
PropertyValue
Headwordtribalism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɹaɪ.bə.lɪ.zəm/
Letters9
Frequency rank#42,962
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tribalism”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).tribalismlands 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 “treasonous” (#42,961), “trig” (#42,963), “transparently” (#42,960). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tribalism” is #42,962. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around tribalism (IPA /ˈtɹaɪ.bə.lɪ.zəm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #42,962 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for tribalism, with forms such as "rtibalism", "tirbalism", and "trbialism". 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. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From tribal + -ism. The correct English form is tribalism, spelled T-R-I-B-A-L-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The condition of being tribal.
  2. 2
    A feeling of identity and loyalty to one's tribe.
  3. 3
    The tendency among human beings to form socially cohesive groups within which there exists social pressure upon the individual to conform to either common behaviors, customs, habits, mores and/or norms, and which groups exhibit greater or lesser degrees of exclusivism.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. If we put an end to regionalism and normalize the flow of great energies in the body of Kyrgyzstan, then there will be a very rapid healing of the whole country and people, who have been vegetating in a semi-paralyzed state for many decades due to the grave illness of tribalism and regionalism.

Etymology

From tribal + -ism.

Antonyms

cosmopolitanism

This word in other languages

tribalisme(Français)Tribalismus(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rtibalism
  • tirbalism
  • trbialism
  • triablism
  • tribailsm
  • tribalims
  • tribalismm
  • tribalissm
  • triballism
  • tribalsim
  • tribbalism
  • triblaism
  • trribalism
  • ttribalism

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tribalism - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

rtibalism2tirbalism2trbialism2triablism2tribailsm2tribalims2tribalismm1tribalissm1
Edit distance from "tribalism"

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 "tribalism"?
"tribalism" is spelled T-R-I-B-A-L-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹaɪ.bə.lɪ.zəm/.
What does "tribalism" mean?
As a noun, "tribalism" means: The condition of being tribal.
What are common misspellings of "tribalism"?
Common misspellings include "rtibalism", "tirbalism", "trbialism", "triablism", "tribailsm". The correct spelling is "tribalism".
How do you pronounce "tribalism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tribalism" is /ˈtɹaɪ.bə.lɪ.zəm/. 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 "tribalism"?
From tribal + -ism. 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 "tribalism", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

truckload#42,964Tipperary#42,952thermally#42,947theatrics#42,945

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

treasonous14 variantsstorehouse14 variantsSpaulding14 variantssepulchre14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list