# trifle

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈtɹaɪfəl/ · frequency rank #31,804

## Definitions
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. Anything that is of little importance or worth.
4. A very small amount (of something).
5. A particular kind of pewter.
6. Utensils made from this particular kind of pewter.

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

## Easily confused with
- **trite** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/trifle-vs-trite)
- **trill** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/trifle-vs-trill)
- **tripe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/trifle-vs-tripe)
- **triple** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/trifle-vs-triple)
- **Trixie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/trifle-vs-trixie)
- **truffle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/trifle-vs-truffle)
- **triples** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/trifle-vs-triples)
- **Trimble** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/trifle-vs-trimble)
- **triplet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/trifle-vs-triplet)
- **tile** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tile-vs-trifle)
- **title** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/title-vs-trifle)
- **trial** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/trial-vs-trifle)
- **tribe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tribe-vs-trifle)
- **trials** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/trials-vs-trifle)
- **treble** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/treble-vs-trifle)
- **triage** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/triage-vs-trifle)
- **trickle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/trickle-vs-trifle)

## Common misspellings (9)
`rtifle`, `tirfle`, `trfile`, `trifel`, `triffle`, `triflle`, `trilfe`, `trrifle`, `ttrifle`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/trifle