tribulation

/ˌtɹɪbjʊˈleɪ̯ʃən/

//ˌtɹɪbjʊˈleɪ̯ʃən// noun

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

"tribulation" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tribulation” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,488. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,488
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any adversity; a trying period or event.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tribulation · tribulation · English

tribulation · rank #40,488 · 17 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #40,488
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH trill

Nearest frequency peer: trill (+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 “tribulation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tribulation” 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 tribulation
PropertyValue
Headwordtribulation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌtɹɪbjʊˈleɪ̯ʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#40,488
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tribulation”

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).tribulationlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “trill” (#40,489), “transphobic” (#40,486), “twisty” (#40,490). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tribulation” is #40,488. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around tribulation (IPA /ˌtɹɪbjʊˈleɪ̯ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #40,488 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Any adversity; a trying period or event.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for tribulation, with forms such as "rtibulation", "tirbulation", and "trbiulation". 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. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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… The correct English form is tribulation, spelled T-R-I-B-U-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any adversity; a trying period or event.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 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 request, but that the help of God's grace in that tribulation to strengthen him was far better for him, than to take…
  2. Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer

Etymology

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.

This word in other languages

tribulación(Español)tribulation(Français)Kummer(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rtibulation
  • tirbulation
  • trbiulation
  • tribbulation
  • tribluation
  • tribualtion
  • tribulaiton
  • tribulasion
  • tribulatino
  • tribulationn
  • tribulatoin
  • tribulattion
  • tribullation
  • tribultaion
  • triublation
  • trribulation
  • ttribulation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

rtibulation2tirbulation2trbiulation2tribbulation1tribluation2tribualtion2tribulaiton2tribulasion1
Edit distance from "tribulation"

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 "tribulation"?
"tribulation" is spelled T-R-I-B-U-L-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌtɹɪbjʊˈleɪ̯ʃən/.
What does "tribulation" mean?
As a noun, "tribulation" means: Any adversity; a trying period or event.
What are common misspellings of "tribulation"?
Common misspellings include "rtibulation", "tirbulation", "trbiulation", "tribbulation", "tribluation". The correct spelling is "tribulation".
How do you pronounce "tribulation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tribulation" is /ˌtɹɪbjʊˈleɪ̯ʃən/. 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 "tribulation"?
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 wo... 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 "tribulation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

transphobic#40,486subjugation#40,468shipwrecked#40,443searchlight#40,436

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

authenticate17 variantspunctuality17 variantsintricately17 variantsfreemasonry17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list