trolleybus

/tɹɒlɪbʌs/

//tɹɒlɪbʌs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“trolleybus” is uncommon English (frequency #88,949 among 27,828 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#88,949
frequency rank, English
27,828
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Alternative form of trolley bus.

Key facts for trolleybus
PropertyValue
Headwordtrolleybus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/tɹɒlɪbʌs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#88,949
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “trolleybus” 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). trolleybus 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

trolleybus is uncommon English at frequency #88,949 among 27,828 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /tɹɒlɪbʌs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Alternative form of trolley bus.".

Zero misspellings are on record for trolleybus in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From trolley + bus. The correct English form is trolleybus, spelled T-R-O-L-L-E-Y-B-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Alternative form of trolley bus.

Etymology

From trolley + bus.

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 "trolleybus"?
"trolleybus" is spelled T-R-O-L-L-E-Y-B-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /tɹɒlɪbʌs/.
What does "trolleybus" mean?
As a noun, "trolleybus" means: Alternative form of trolley bus.
How do you pronounce "trolleybus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "trolleybus" is /tɹɒlɪbʌs/. 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 "trolleybus"?
From trolley + bus. 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.

Using “trolleybus”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is T-R-O-L-L-E-Y-B-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /tɹɒlɪbʌs/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list