trilingual

/tɹaɪ̯ˈlɪŋ.ɡwəl/

//tɹaɪ̯ˈlɪŋ.ɡwəl// adj

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

"trilingual" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“trilingual” is uncommon English (frequency #88,948 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#88,948
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Able to read or speak three languages.

Corpus desk

Index EN-trilingual · trilingual · English

trilingual · rank #88,948 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #88,948
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH Trentino

Nearest frequency peer: Trentino (-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 “trilingual”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for trilingual
PropertyValue
Headwordtrilingual
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/tɹaɪ̯ˈlɪŋ.ɡwəl/
Letters10
Frequency rank#88,948
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “trilingual” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).trilingualfalls 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: “Trentino” (#88,947), “trolleybus” (#88,949), “trombonist” (#88,950). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “trilingual” is #88,948. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

trilingual is uncommon English at frequency #88,948 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /tɹaɪ̯ˈlɪŋ.ɡwəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

trilingual has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From tri- + lingual. The correct English form is trilingual, spelled T-R-I-L-I-N-G-U-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Able to read or speak three languages.
  2. 2
    Expressed or written in three languages.

Etymology

From tri- + lingual.

This word in other languages

trilingüe(Español)trilingue(Français)dreisprachig(Deutsch)trilingue(Português)

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 "trilingual"?
"trilingual" is spelled T-R-I-L-I-N-G-U-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /tɹaɪ̯ˈlɪŋ.ɡwəl/.
What does "trilingual" mean?
As an adjective, "trilingual" means: Able to read or speak three languages.
How do you pronounce "trilingual"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "trilingual" is /tɹaɪ̯ˈlɪŋ.ɡwəl/. 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 "trilingual"?
From tri- + lingual. 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 "trilingual", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

trolleybus#88,949trombonist#88,950uproarious#88,979technetium#88,915

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list