troglodyte

/ˈtɹɒɡlədaɪt/

//ˈtɹɒɡlədaɪt// noun

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

"troglodyte" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“troglodyte” is uncommon English (frequency #99,959 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#99,959
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A member of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves or holes, a caveman.

Corpus desk

Index EN-troglodyte · troglodyte · English

troglodyte · rank #99,959 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #99,959
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH troves

Nearest frequency peer: troves (+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 “troglodyte”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for troglodyte
PropertyValue
Headwordtroglodyte
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɹɒɡlədaɪt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#99,959
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “troglodyte” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).troglodytefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “troves” (#99,960), “Trelawny” (#99,956), “transocean” (#99,955). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “troglodyte” is #99,959. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

troglodyte is uncommon English at frequency #99,959 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtɹɒɡlədaɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for troglodyte in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin trōglodyta (“cave-dwelling person”), from Ancient Greek τρωγλοδύτης (trōglodútēs, “one who dwells in holes”), from τρώγλη (trṓglē, “hole”) + δύω (dúō, “to get into”). The correct English form is troglodyte, spelled T-R-O-G-L-O-D-Y-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A member of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves or holes, a caveman.
  2. 2
    Anything that lives underground.
  3. 3
    The Eurasian wren, Troglodytes troglodytes.
  4. 4
    A reclusive, reactionary or out-of-date person, especially if brutish.
  5. 5
    A person who chooses not to keep up to date with the latest software and hardware.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The cave was populated by albino scorpions, blind salamanders, and other troglodytes.
  2. Inhabited as early as the Gallo-Roman era, the caves of the troglodytes are slighted in guidebooks, naturally overshadowed by the chateaus of the kings.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin trōglodyta (“cave-dwelling person”), from Ancient Greek τρωγλοδύτης (trōglodútēs, “one who dwells in holes”), from τρώγλη (trṓglē, “hole”) + δύω (dúō, “to get into”).

This word in other languages

cavernícola(Español)troglodyte(Français)Höhlenmensch(Deutsch)troglodita(Português)

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 "troglodyte"?
"troglodyte" is spelled T-R-O-G-L-O-D-Y-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹɒɡlədaɪt/.
What does "troglodyte" mean?
As a noun, "troglodyte" means: A member of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves or holes, a caveman.
How do you pronounce "troglodyte"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "troglodyte" is /ˈtɹɒɡlədaɪt/. 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 "troglodyte"?
Learned borrowing from Latin trōglodyta (“cave-dwelling person”), from Ancient Greek τρωγλοδύτης (trōglodútēs, “one who dwells in holes”), from τρώγλη (trṓglē, “hole”) + δύω (dúō, “to get into”). 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 "troglodyte", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

transocean#99,955unhampered#99,977Sommerfeld#99,884sleepyhead#99,874

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list