trimester

/ˈtɹ(a)ɪ.mɛs.tə(ɹ)/

//ˈtɹ(a)ɪ.mɛs.tə(ɹ)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“trimester” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,637. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,637
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A period of three months or about three months; (financial): quarter.

Corpus desk

Index EN-trimester · trimester · English

trimester · rank #26,637 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,637
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH Travers

Nearest frequency peer: Travers (-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 “trimester”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “trimester” 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).

trimester vs Trieste
67% similar
trimester vs trickster
78% similar

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

Key facts for trimester
PropertyValue
Headwordtrimester
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɹ(a)ɪ.mɛs.tə(ɹ)/
Letters9
Frequency rank#26,637
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “trimester”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).trimesterlands 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 “Travers” (#26,636), “trashy” (#26,635), “transponder” (#26,634). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “trimester” is #26,637. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around trimester (IPA /ˈtɹ(a)ɪ.mɛs.tə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #26,637 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for trimester, with forms such as "rtimester", "tirmester", and "triemster". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Trieste", "trickster", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *tréyes From French trimestre, from Latin trimestris (“of three months”), from trēs (“three”) + mensis (“month”). The correct English form is trimester, spelled T-R-I-M-E-S-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A period of three months or about three months; (financial): quarter.
  2. 2
    One of the terms of an academic year in those learning institutions that divide their teaching in three roughly equal terms, each about three months long. Compare semester.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She is in the second trimester of her first pregnancy.
  2. The school operates on a trimester schedule.

Etymology

PIE word *tréyes From French trimestre, from Latin trimestris (“of three months”), from trēs (“three”) + mensis (“month”).

This word in other languages

trimestre(Español)trimestre(Français)Trimester(Deutsch)trimestre(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rtimester
  • tirmester
  • triemster
  • trimesetr
  • trimesster
  • trimesterr
  • trimestre
  • trimestter
  • trimetser
  • trimmester
  • trimseter
  • trmiester
  • trrimester
  • ttrimester

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of trimester - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

rtimester2tirmester2triemster2trimesetr2trimesster1trimesterr1trimestre2trimestter1
Edit distance from "trimester"

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 "trimester"?
"trimester" is spelled T-R-I-M-E-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹ(a)ɪ.mɛs.tə(ɹ)/.
What does "trimester" mean?
As a noun, "trimester" means: A period of three months or about three months; (financial): quarter.
What words are commonly confused with "trimester"?
"trimester" is commonly confused with "Trieste", "trickster". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "trimester"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "trimester" is /ˈtɹ(a)ɪ.mɛs.tə(ɹ)/. 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 "trimester"?
PIE word *tréyes From French trimestre, from Latin trimestris (“of three months”), from trēs (“three”) + mensis (“month”). 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 "trimester", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

summoning#26,619steamship#26,616voiceover#26,659willfully#26,660

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

trafficked14 variantssouthward14 variantssilverman14 variantsamphibious14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list