tribulation
tri·bu·la·tion/ˌtɹɪbjəˈleɪ̯ʃən/noun
tribulation is spelled T-R-I-B-U-L-A-T-I-O-N: 11 letters and 4 syllables (tri·bu·la·tion). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,267th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, tribulation means “Any adversity; a trying period or event” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tribulation is tribulations.
How many letters and syllables are in tribulation?
| Letters | 11: T-R-I-B-U-L-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: tri·bu·la·tion |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 40,267th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is tribulation?
Tribulation appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,267th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce tribulation?
- UK /ˌtɹɪbjʊˈleɪ̯ʃən/
- US /ˌtɹɪbjəˈleɪ̯ʃən/
Tribulation has 4 syllables, split tri·bu·la·tion in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-tribulation.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with tribulation?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as tribulation from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃən/):
- situation
- association
- population
- administration
- operation
- organization
- application
- location
- generation
- foundation
- conversation
- investigation
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of tribulation
- tribulations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tribulation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any adversity; a trying period or event.
What wit have we (poor fools) to wit what will serve us, when the blessed Apostle himself in his sore tribulation, praying thrice unto God to take it away from him, was answered again by God in a manner that he was but a fool in asking that
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tribulation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense adversity:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | tribulation |
| German | Kummer, Trübsal, Mühsal, Drangsal, Bedrängnis |
| Portuguese | tribulação |
| Spanish | tribulación |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does tribulation come from?
From Middle English tribulation, from Old French tribulacion, from Late Latin trībulātiō (“distress, trouble, tribulation, affliction”), from Latin tribulāre (“to press, probably also thresh out grain”), from trībulum (“a sledge consisting of a wooden block studded with sharp pieces of flint or with iron teeth, used for threshing grain”), from terēre (“to rub”); see trite.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).