tropic
/ˈtɹɒpɪk/noun, adjective
tropic is spelled T-R-O-P-I-C: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,748th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, tropic means “Either of the two parallels of latitude 23°26′ north and south of the equator; the farthest points at which the sun can be directly overhead; the…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tropic is tropics.
How many letters and syllables are in tropic?
| Letters | 6: T-R-O-P-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 35,748th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is tropic?
Tropic appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,748th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce tropic?
- /ˈtɹɒpɪk/
Tropic has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-tropic.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with tropic?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as tropic.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: protic.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of tropic
- tropics plural
- trop.
- more tropic comparative
- most tropic superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tropic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Either of the two parallels of latitude 23°26′ north and south of the equator; the farthest points at which the sun can be directly overhead; the boundaries of the torrid zone or tropics.
For since on ev'ry Sea, on ev'ry Coast, Your Men have been distress'd, your Navy tost, Sev'n times the Sun has either Tropick view'd,
- 2
The component of tone or rhetoric in a sentence.
adjective
- 1
Of, or relating to the tropics; tropical.
- 2
rareHot and humid.
- 3
Having the quality of indirectly inducing a biological or chemical change in a system or substrate.
The binding of oxygen to hemoglobin is allosterically regulated by various tropic factors, such as BPG and acidity.
- 4
Pertaining to, involving, or of the nature of a trope or tropes.
noun
- 1
Alternative form of tropic (one of two specific lines of latitude that divide the Northern and Southern hemispheres, respectively; the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate tropic?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of tropic: trop..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tropic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense either of the two parallels:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | tropique |
| German | Wendekreis |
| Portuguese | trópico |
| Spanish | trópico |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does tropic come from?
From Late Latin tropicus (“of or pertaining to the solstice, as a noun, one of the tropics”), from Ancient Greek τροπικός (tropikós, “of or pertaining to a turn or change; or the solstice; or a trope or figure; tropic; tropical; etc.”), from τροπή (tropḗ, “turn; solstice; trope”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).