troglodyte
/ˈtɹɒɡlədaɪt/
"troglodyte" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“troglodyte” is an uncommon English word, ranked #99,959 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #99,959
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A member of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves or holes, a caveman.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | troglodyte |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈtɹɒɡlədaɪt/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #99,959 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “troglodyte” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for troglodyte is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈtɹɒɡlədaɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #99,959 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1A member of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves or holes, a caveman.
- 2Anything that lives underground.
- 3The Eurasian wren, Troglodytes troglodytes.
- 4A reclusive, reactionary or out-of-date person, especially if brutish.
- 5A person who chooses not to keep up to date with the latest software and hardware.
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
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"?
What does "troglodyte" mean?
How do you pronounce "troglodyte"?
What is the origin of the word "troglodyte"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “troglodyte”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is T-R-O-G-L-O-D-Y-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈtɹɒɡlədaɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.