tribute

/ˈtɹɪbjuːt/

//ˈtɹɪbjuːt// noun

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

"tribute" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tribute” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,722. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,722
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An acknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tribute · tribute · English

tribute · rank #4,722 · 10 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,722
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tracking

Nearest frequency peer: tracking (-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 “tribute”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tribute” 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).

tribute vs trite
71% similar
tribute vs Trieste
57% similar
tribute vs tribe
71% similar

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

Key facts for tribute
PropertyValue
Headwordtribute
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɹɪbjuːt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#4,722
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tribute”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).tributelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “tracking” (#4,721), “trigger” (#4,723), “toys” (#4,720). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tribute” is #4,722. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around tribute (IPA /ˈtɹɪbjuːt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,722 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for tribute, with forms such as "rtibute", "tirbute", and "trbiute". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "trite", "Trieste", "tribe", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *tréyes From Middle English tribut (14th c.), from Middle French tribut, from Latin tributum (“tribute”, literally “a thing contributed or paid”), past participle of tribuere (“to assign, allot”), usually derived from tribus (“tribe”, which see). The correct English form is tribute, spelled T-R-I-B-U-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An acknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift.
  2. 2
    An acknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift.
  3. 3
    A payment made by one nation to another in submission.
  4. 4
    Extortion; protection money.
  5. 5
    A payment made by a feudal vassal to his lord.
  6. 6
    A certain proportion of the mined ore, or of its value, given to the miner as payment.
  7. 7
    Ellipsis of cum tribute.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Please accept this as a tribute of our thanks.
  2. the passing tribute of a sigh

Etymology

PIE word *tréyes From Middle English tribut (14th c.), from Middle French tribut, from Latin tributum (“tribute”, literally “a thing contributed or paid”), past participle of tribuere (“to assign, allot”), usually derived from tribus (“tribe”, which see).

Synonyms

encomiumheriot

This word in other languages

tributo(Español)hommage(Français)Tribut(Deutsch)homenagem(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rtibute
  • tirbute
  • trbiute
  • tribbute
  • tribtue
  • tribuet
  • tributte
  • triubte
  • trribute
  • ttribute

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tribute - 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.

rtibute2tirbute2trbiute2tribbute1tribtue2tribuet2tributte1triubte2
Edit distance from "tribute"

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 "tribute"?
"tribute" is spelled T-R-I-B-U-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹɪbjuːt/.
What does "tribute" mean?
As a noun, "tribute" means: An acknowledgment of gratitude, respect or admiration; an accompanying gift.
What words are commonly confused with "tribute"?
"tribute" is commonly confused with "trite", "Trieste", "tribe". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tribute"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tribute" is /ˈtɹɪbjuːt/. 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 "tribute"?
PIE word *tréyes From Middle English tribut (14th c.), from Middle French tribut, from Latin tributum (“tribute”, literally “a thing contributed or paid”), past participle of tribuere (“to assign, allot”), usually derived from tribus (“tribe”, wh... 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 "tribute", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

trigger#4,723strikes#4,717Stewart#4,716shelter#4,712

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

accuracy10 variantsbeneath10 variantsbitcoin10 variantspowered10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list