triste

/ˈtɹɪst/

//ˈtɹɪst// adj

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

The verdict

“triste” is uncommon English (frequency #82,870 among 27,828 “T” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#82,870
frequency rank, English
27,828
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Sad; sorrowful; gloomy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-triste · triste · English

triste · rank #82,870 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #82,870
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 27,828
  • PHOTO-FINISH triforce

Nearest frequency peer: triforce (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “triste”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “triste” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for triste
PropertyValue
Headwordtriste
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈtɹɪst/
Letters6
Frequency rank#82,870
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “triste” 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). triste lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

triste is uncommon English at frequency #82,870 among 27,828 “T” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈtɹɪst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Sad; sorrowful; gloomy.".

Zero misspellings are on record for triste in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English trist, triste (-e form is less common), borrowed from Old French trist, triste, from Latin trīstis (“sad, sorrowful”). Re-borrowed late 18c. (as “dull, uninteresting”) as a French word in English and often spelled triste. The correct English form is triste, spelled T-R-I-S-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Sad; sorrowful; gloomy.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English trist, triste (-e form is less common), borrowed from Old French trist, triste, from Latin trīstis (“sad, sorrowful”). Re-borrowed late 18c. (as “dull, uninteresting”) as a French word in English and often spelled triste.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "triste"?
"triste" is spelled T-R-I-S-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹɪst/.
What does "triste" mean?
As an adjective, "triste" means: Sad; sorrowful; gloomy.
How do you pronounce "triste"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "triste" is /ˈtɹɪst/. 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 "triste"?
Inherited from Middle English trist, triste (-e form is less common), borrowed from Old French trist, triste, from Latin trīstis (“sad, sorrowful”). Re-borrowed late 18c. (as “dull, uninteresting”) as a French word in English and often spelled tri... 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 "triste", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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