trip

/tɹɪp/

//tɹɪp// noun

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

"trip" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“trip” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,356 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,356
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A journey; an excursion or jaunt.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

trip vs try
50% similar
trip vs tru
50% similar
trip vs TRP
0% similar

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

Key facts for trip
PropertyValue
Headwordtrip
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/tɹɪp/
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,356
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “trip” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). trip lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for trip is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /tɹɪp/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,356 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for trip, with forms such as "rtip", "tirp", and "trpi". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "try", "tru", "TRP", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English trippen (“tread or step lightly and nimbly, skip, dance”), perhaps from Old French triper (“to hop or dance around, strike with the feet”), from a Frankish source; or alternatively from Middle Dutch trippen (“to skip, trip, hop, stamp, t… The correct English form is trip, spelled T-R-I-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    A journey; an excursion or jaunt.
  2. 2
    A stumble or misstep.
  3. 3
    An error; a failure; a mistake.
  4. 4
    A period of time in which one experiences drug-induced reverie or hallucinations.
  5. 5
    Intense involvement in or enjoyment of a condition.
  6. 6
    A faux pas, a social error.
  7. 7
    A mechanical cutout device.
  8. 8
    A trip-switch or cut-out.
  9. 9
    A quick, light step; a lively movement of the feet; a skip.
  10. 10
    The act of tripping someone, or causing them to lose their footing.
  11. 11
    A single tack while beating (sailing to windward).

Etymology

From Middle English trippen (“tread or step lightly and nimbly, skip, dance”), perhaps from Old French triper (“to hop or dance around, strike with the feet”), from a Frankish source; or alternatively from Middle Dutch trippen (“to skip, trip, hop, stamp, trample”) (> Modern Dutch trippelen (“to toddle, patter, trip”)). Akin to Middle Low German trippen ( > Danish trippe (“to trip”), Swedish trippa (“to mince, trip”)), West Frisian tripje (“to toddle, trip”), German trippeln (“to scurry”), Old English treppan (“to trample, tread”). Related also to trap, tramp.

This word in other languages

viaje(Español)voyage(Français)Reise(Deutsch)moca(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: rtip,tirp,trpi,trrip,ttrip

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

rtip2tirp2trpi2trrip1ttrip1
Edit distance from "trip"

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 "trip"?
"trip" is spelled T-R-I-P. The IPA pronunciation is /tɹɪp/.
What does "trip" mean?
As a noun, "trip" means: A journey; an excursion or jaunt.
What words are commonly confused with "trip"?
"trip" is commonly confused with "try", "tru", "TRP". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "trip"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "trip" is /tɹɪp/. 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 "trip"?
From Middle English trippen (“tread or step lightly and nimbly, skip, dance”), perhaps from Old French triper (“to hop or dance around, strike with the feet”), from a Frankish source; or alternatively from Middle Dutch trippen (“to skip, trip, hop... 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.

Using “trip”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is T-R-I-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /tɹɪp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “try” - see the side-by-side comparison. trip vs try
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list