troop

/tɹuːp/

//tɹuːp// noun

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

"troop" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“troop” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,486 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#11,486
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A collection of people; a number; a multitude (in general).

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

troop vs TRP
0% similar
troop vs Troy
40% similar
troop vs trot
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for troop
PropertyValue
Headwordtroop
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/tɹuːp/
Letters5
Frequency rank#11,486
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “troop” 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). troop lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for troop is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /tɹuːp/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,486 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 11 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 troop, with forms such as "rtoop", "torop", and "troopp". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "TRP", "Troy", "trot", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Attested in English since 1545, from French troupe, from Back-formation from troupeau, from Middle French trope, troupe, from Old French trope, trupe, of unknown origin. Compare Early Medieval Latin troppus. Doublet of troupe, and possibly also of thorp, do… The correct English form is troop, spelled T-R-O-O-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    A collection of people; a number; a multitude (in general).
  2. 2
    A small unit of cavalry or armour commanded by a captain, corresponding to a platoon or company of infantry.
  3. 3
    A detachment of soldiers or police, especially horse artillery, armour, or state troopers.
  4. 4
    A group of soldiers; military forces.
  5. 5
    An individual soldier or member of a military force; a trooper.
  6. 6
    A company of actors; a troupe.
  7. 7
    A chapter of a national girl or boy scouts organization, consisting of one or more patrols of 6 to 8 youngsters each.
  8. 8
    A group of monkeys.
  9. 9
    A group of meerkat families living together.
  10. 10
    A particular roll of the drum; a quick march.
  11. 11
    A group of mushrooms that are close but not close enough to be called a cluster.

Etymology

Attested in English since 1545, from French troupe, from Back-formation from troupeau, from Middle French trope, troupe, from Old French trope, trupe, of unknown origin. Compare Early Medieval Latin troppus. Doublet of troupe, and possibly also of thorp, dorp, and trip. Cognate with German Dorf (“village”).

This word in other languages

troupes(Français)Trupp(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: rtoop,torop,troopp,trop,tropo,trroop,ttroop

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of troop - 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.

rtoop2torop2troopp1trop1tropo2trroop1ttroop1
Edit distance from "troop"

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 "troop"?
"troop" is spelled T-R-O-O-P. The IPA pronunciation is /tɹuːp/.
What does "troop" mean?
As a noun, "troop" means: A collection of people; a number; a multitude (in general).
What words are commonly confused with "troop"?
"troop" is commonly confused with "TRP", "Troy", "trot". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "troop"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "troop" is /tɹuːp/. 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 "troop"?
Attested in English since 1545, from French troupe, from Back-formation from troupeau, from Middle French trope, troupe, from Old French trope, trupe, of unknown origin. Compare Early Medieval Latin troppus. Doublet of troupe, and possibly also of... 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 “troop”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is T-R-O-O-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /tɹuːp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “TRP” - see the side-by-side comparison. troop vs TRP
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list