trifle

/ˈtɹaɪfəl/

//ˈtɹaɪfəl// noun

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

"trifle" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“trifle” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,804. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,804
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An English dessert made from a mixture of thick custard, fruit, sponge cake, jelly and whipped cream.

Corpus desk

Index EN-trifle · trifle · English

trifle · rank #31,804 · 9 variants · 17 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,804
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 17 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH traversed

Nearest frequency peer: traversed (-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 “trifle”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “trifle” 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).

trifle vs trite
67% similar
trifle vs trill
67% similar
trifle vs tripe
67% similar

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

Key facts for trifle
PropertyValue
Headwordtrifle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɹaɪfəl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#31,804
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “trifle”

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).triflelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “traversed” (#31,803), “Trixie” (#31,805), “twine” (#31,806). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “trifle” is #31,804. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around trifle (IPA /ˈtɹaɪfəl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,804 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for trifle, with forms such as "rtifle", "tirfle", and "trfile". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 17 confusable-pair relationships, "trite", "trill", "tripe", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English trifle, trifel, triful, trefle, truyfle, trufful, from Old French trufle (“mockery”), a byform of trufe, truffe (“deception”), of uncertain origin. The correct English form is trifle, spelled T-R-I-F-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An English dessert made from a mixture of thick custard, fruit, sponge cake, jelly and whipped cream.
  2. 2
    Anything that is of little importance or worth.
  3. 3
    Anything that is of little importance or worth.
  4. 4
    A very small amount (of something).
  5. 5
    A particular kind of pewter.
  6. 6
    Utensils made from this particular kind of pewter.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It is interesting to watch the surface joviality on screen while racism is layered between courses like soggy trifles.
  2. Trifles light as air / Are to the jealous confirmation strong / As proofs of holy writ.

Etymology

From Middle English trifle, trifel, triful, trefle, truyfle, trufful, from Old French trufle (“mockery”), a byform of trufe, truffe (“deception”), of uncertain origin.

Synonyms

bagatellebag of shellsbric-a-bracdickydicky-birdficofigflyspeckminuityniff-naffpicayunescuddicksoptoytricktrifletrivialitywhifflewhite chip

This word in other languages

pizca(Español)bagatelle(Français)Trifle(Deutsch)ninharia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rtifle
  • tirfle
  • trfile
  • trifel
  • triffle
  • triflle
  • trilfe
  • trrifle
  • ttrifle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of trifle - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

rtifle2tirfle2trfile2trifel2triffle1triflle1trilfe2trrifle1
Edit distance from "trifle"

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 "trifle"?
"trifle" is spelled T-R-I-F-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹaɪfəl/.
What does "trifle" mean?
As a noun, "trifle" means: An English dessert made from a mixture of thick custard, fruit, sponge cake, jelly and whipped cream.
What words are commonly confused with "trifle"?
"trifle" is commonly confused with "trite", "trill", "tripe". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "trifle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "trifle" is /ˈtɹaɪfəl/. 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 "trifle"?
From Middle English trifle, trifel, triful, trefle, truyfle, trufful, from Old French trufle (“mockery”), a byform of trufe, truffe (“deception”), of uncertain origin. 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 "trifle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Trixie#31,805thorny#31,798venous#31,814Tetris#31,793

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Thoreau9 variantsVishnu9 variantsWhelan9 variantsscalar9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list