trite
/tɹaɪt/
"trite" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“trite” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #37,261 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #37,261
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Often in reference to a word or phrase: used so many times that it is commonplace, or no longer interesting or effective; worn out, hackneyed.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | trite |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /tɹaɪt/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #37,261 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “trite” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for trite is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /tɹaɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #37,261 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for trite, with forms such as "rtite", "tirte", and "triet". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "true", "trot", "twit", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin trītus (“worn out”), perfect passive participle of terō (“I wear away, wear out”). The correct English form is trite, spelled T-R-I-T-E.
Definition
- 1Often in reference to a word or phrase: used so many times that it is commonplace, or no longer interesting or effective; worn out, hackneyed.
- 2So well established as to be beyond debate: trite law.
Etymology
From Latin trītus (“worn out”), perfect passive participle of terō (“I wear away, wear out”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: rtite,tirte,triet,tritte,trrite,trtie,ttrite
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of trite - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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
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Using “trite”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is T-R-I-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /tɹaɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “true” - see the side-by-side comparison. trite vs true
- 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.