trilobite

/ˈtɹaɪ.ləˌbaɪt/

//ˈtɹaɪ.ləˌbaɪt// noun

"trilobite" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“trilobite” is uncommon English (frequency #91,085 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#91,085
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An extinct arthropod of the class Trilobita, whose body had three large lobes.

Corpus desk

Index EN-trilobite · trilobite · English

trilobite · rank #91,085 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #91,085
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH trioxide

Nearest frequency peer: trioxide (+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 “trilobite”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for trilobite
PropertyValue
Headwordtrilobite
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɹaɪ.ləˌbaɪt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#91,085
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “trilobite” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).trilobitefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “trioxide” (#91,086), “tripos” (#91,087), “traineeship” (#91,082). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “trilobite” is #91,085. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

trilobite is uncommon English at frequency #91,085 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtɹaɪ.ləˌbaɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An extinct arthropod of the class Trilobita, whose body had three large lobes.".

trilobite has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from translingual Trilobita. By surface analysis, tri- (“three”) + lobe + -ite (“mineral, individual”), literally “three-lober”. The correct English form is trilobite, spelled T-R-I-L-O-B-I-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An extinct arthropod of the class Trilobita, whose body had three large lobes.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. When you look at a Precambrian trilobite in the lobby of a New York bank, it is difficult to speculate about its primeval environment.

Etymology

Borrowed from translingual Trilobita. By surface analysis, tri- (“three”) + lobe + -ite (“mineral, individual”), literally “three-lober”.

This word in other languages

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 "trilobite"?
"trilobite" is spelled T-R-I-L-O-B-I-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹaɪ.ləˌbaɪt/.
What does "trilobite" mean?
As a noun, "trilobite" means: An extinct arthropod of the class Trilobita, whose body had three large lobes.
How do you pronounce "trilobite"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "trilobite" is /ˈtɹaɪ.ləˌbaɪt/. 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 "trilobite"?
Borrowed from translingual Trilobita. By surface analysis, tri- (“three”) + lobe + -ite (“mineral, individual”), literally “three-lober”. 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 "trilobite", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list