trie

/ˈtɹiː/

//ˈtɹiː// noun

"trie" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“trie” is uncommon English (frequency #87,923 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#87,923
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An ordered tree data structure that is used to store an associative array where the keys are usually strings.

Corpus desk

Index EN-trie · trie · English

trie · rank #87,923 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #87,923
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH trebuchet

Nearest frequency peer: trebuchet (-2 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 “trie”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “trie” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for trie
PropertyValue
Headwordtrie
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɹiː/
Letters4
Frequency rank#87,923
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “trie” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).triefalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “trebuchet” (#87,921), “transpersonal” (#87,920), “Truax” (#87,926). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “trie” is #87,923. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

trie is uncommon English at frequency #87,923 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtɹiː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An ordered tree data structure that is used to store an associative array where the keys are usually strings.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for trie, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From retrieval. The correct English form is trie, spelled T-R-I-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An ordered tree data structure that is used to store an associative array where the keys are usually strings.

Etymology

From retrieval.

Synonyms

prefix tree

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 "trie"?
"trie" is spelled T-R-I-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹiː/.
What does "trie" mean?
As a noun, "trie" means: An ordered tree data structure that is used to store an associative array where the keys are usually strings.
How do you pronounce "trie"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "trie" is /ˈtɹiː/. 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 "trie"?
From retrieval. 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 "trie", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list