triclosan
/ˈtɹɪ.klə.sæn/
"triclosan" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“triclosan” is uncommon English (frequency #97,653 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #97,653
- frequency rank, English
- 3,151
- “T” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A widely used wide-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal agent, with molecular formula C₁₂H₇Cl₃O₂, which works by disrupting the growth of microbes, rather than actively killing them.
Corpus desk
Index EN-triclosan · triclosan · English
triclosan · rank #97,653 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #97,653
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,151
- PHOTO-FINISH Trotta
Nearest frequency peer: Trotta (+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.
Long-tail ranks near “triclosan”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- transdiscip…
transdisciplinary
2,356 corpus weight
- treasonable
treasonable
2,352 corpus weight
- Trias
Trias
2,351 corpus weight
- triclosan
triclosan
2,348 corpus weight
- Trotta
Trotta
2,347 corpus weight
- TTB
TTB
2,344 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “triclosan” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | triclosan |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈtɹɪ.klə.sæn/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #97,653 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “triclosan” in English
Rare enough to double-check
triclosan is uncommon English at frequency #97,653 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtɹɪ.klə.sæn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A widely used wide-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal agent, with molecular formula C₁₂H₇Cl₃O₂, which works by disrupting the growth of microbes, rather than actively killing them.".
Zero misspellings are on record for triclosan in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is triclosan, spelled T-R-I-C-L-O-S-A-N.
Definition
- 1A widely used wide-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal agent, with molecular formula C₁₂H₇Cl₃O₂, which works by disrupting the growth of microbes, rather than actively killing them.
Recorded use
Wiktionary exampleThese source excerpts show how triclosan appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
While the active ingredient in the Vicks product, triclosan, is covered under F.D.A. regulations for certain antiseptic uses, that does not include P.& G.’s directions that users should leave the sanitizer on their hands, without rinsing with water, according to the letter.
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 "triclosan"?
What does "triclosan" mean?
How do you pronounce "triclosan"?
What language does "triclosan" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "triclosan", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).