trifle
tri·fle/ˈtɹaɪfəl/noun, verb
trifle is spelled T-R-I-F-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables (tri·fle). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,549th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, trifle means “An English dessert made from a mixture of thick custard, fruit, sponge cake, jelly and whipped cream” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of trifle is trifles.
How many letters and syllables are in trifle?
| Letters | 6: T-R-I-F-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: tri·fle |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 31,549th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is trifle?
Trifle appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,549th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce trifle?
- /ˈtɹaɪfəl/
Trifle has 2 syllables, split tri·fle in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-trifle.wav, En-us-trifle.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with trifle?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as trifle.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: filter, lifter.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of trifle
- trifles plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- trifling participle, present
- trifled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does trifle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An English dessert made from a mixture of thick custard, fruit, sponge cake, jelly and whipped cream.
- 2
Anything that is of little importance or worth.
- 3
An insignificant amount of money.
- 4
A very small amount (of something).
- 5
A particular kind of pewter.
- 6
Utensils made from this particular kind of pewter.
verb
- 1
To deal with something as if it were of little importance or worth.
You must not trifle with her affections.
- 2
To act, speak, or otherwise behave with jest.
- 3
To inconsequentially toy with something.
- 4
To squander or waste.
- 5
obsoleteTo make a trifle of, to make trivial.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Trifle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | bagatelle , broutille, vétille , babiole, bricole , déconner |
| German | Trifle , Kleinigkeit, ein bisschen, ein wenig , leichtfertig umgehen, nachlässig umgehen |
| Portuguese | trifle , ninharia , bugiganga |
| Spanish | sopa inglesa , pizca , nadería, nimiedad, zarandaja, friolera |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does trifle come from?
From Middle English trifle, trifel, triful, trefle, truyfle, trufful, from Old French trufle (“mockery”), a byform of trufe, truffe (“deception”), of uncertain origin.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).