tripod

/ˈtɹaɪpɑd/

//ˈtɹaɪpɑd// noun

"tripod" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tripod” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,136. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,136
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A three-legged stand or mount.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tripod · tripod · English

tripod · rank #23,136 · 9 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,136
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH transnational

Nearest frequency peer: transnational (-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 “tripod”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tripod” 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).

tripod vs trips
67% similar
tripod vs Tripp
50% similar
tripod vs triton
67% similar

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

Key facts for tripod
PropertyValue
Headwordtripod
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɹaɪpɑd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#23,136
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tripod”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).tripodlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “transnational” (#23,135), “tulip” (#23,137), “tout” (#23,134). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tripod” is #23,136. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around tripod (IPA /ˈtɹaɪpɑd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,136 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for tripod, with forms such as "rtipod", "tirpod", and "triopd". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "trips", "Tripp", "triton", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *tréyes Borrowed from Latin tripūs, tripodis, from Ancient Greek τρίπους (trípous); equivalent to tri- + -pod. Doublet of tripus and teapoy. The correct English form is tripod, spelled T-R-I-P-O-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A three-legged stand or mount.
  2. 2
    A fictional three-legged Martian war machine from H.G. Wells's novel The War of the Worlds (1897).
  3. 3
    A man with macrophallism.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Recent cell phones offer tripod attachments to take steady photographs.

Etymology

PIE word *tréyes Borrowed from Latin tripūs, tripodis, from Ancient Greek τρίπους (trípous); equivalent to tri- + -pod. Doublet of tripus and teapoy.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rtipod
  • tirpod
  • triopd
  • tripdo
  • tripodd
  • trippod
  • trpiod
  • trripod
  • ttripod

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

rtipod2tirpod2triopd2tripdo2tripodd1trippod1trpiod2trripod1
Edit distance from "tripod"

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 "tripod"?
"tripod" is spelled T-R-I-P-O-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹaɪpɑd/.
What does "tripod" mean?
As a noun, "tripod" means: A three-legged stand or mount.
What words are commonly confused with "tripod"?
"tripod" is commonly confused with "trips", "Tripp", "triton". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tripod"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tripod" is /ˈtɹaɪpɑd/. 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 "tripod"?
PIE word *tréyes Borrowed from Latin tripūs, tripodis, from Ancient Greek τρίπους (trípous); equivalent to tri- + -pod. Doublet of tripus and teapoy. 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 "tripod", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list