trivalent

/traɪˈveɪlənt/

//traɪˈveɪlənt// adj

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

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

The verdict

“trivalent” is uncommon English (frequency #96,596 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#96,596
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having a valence of three.

Corpus desk

Index EN-trivalent · trivalent · English

trivalent · rank #96,596 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #96,596
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH trigonal

Nearest frequency peer: trigonal (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “trivalent”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “trivalent” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for trivalent
PropertyValue
Headwordtrivalent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/traɪˈveɪlənt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#96,596
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “trivalent” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “trigonal” (#96,595), “truelove” (#96,597), “Tsuji” (#96,598). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “trivalent” is #96,596. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

trivalent is uncommon English at frequency #96,596 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /traɪˈveɪlənt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for trivalent in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From tri- + -valent. The correct English form is trivalent, spelled T-R-I-V-A-L-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having a valence of three.
  2. 2
    Protecting against three different (usually flu) viruses.

Etymology

From tri- + -valent.

This word in other languages

dreiwertig(Deutsch)

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 "trivalent"?
"trivalent" is spelled T-R-I-V-A-L-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /traɪˈveɪlənt/.
What does "trivalent" mean?
As an adjective, "trivalent" means: Having a valence of three.
How do you pronounce "trivalent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "trivalent" is /traɪˈveɪlənt/. 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 "trivalent"?
From tri- + -valent. 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 "trivalent", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

transgene#96,591Twitchell#96,606Towcester#96,585Tobermory#96,579

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list