truant

/ˈtɹuːənt/

//ˈtɹuːənt// adj

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

"truant" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“truant” is uncommon English (frequency #57,785 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,785
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Shirking or wandering from business or duty; straying; hence, idle; loitering.

Corpus desk

Index EN-truant · truant · English

truant · rank #57,785 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,785
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH Trini

Nearest frequency peer: Trini (-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 “truant”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for truant
PropertyValue
Headwordtruant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈtɹuːənt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#57,785
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “truant” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).truantfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Trini” (#57,784), “trilateral” (#57,783), “Truex” (#57,787). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “truant” is #57,785. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

truant is uncommon English at frequency #57,785 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈtɹuːənt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for truant in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. 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: The adjective and noun are derived from Middle English truant, truand, truaund (“(adjective) idle; tending to vagrancy (uncertain; may be a use of the noun); (noun) beggar; mendicant friar; vagrant, wanderer; worthless person, rogue, scoundrel; one who is a… The correct English form is truant, spelled T-R-U-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Shirking or wandering from business or duty; straying; hence, idle; loitering.
  2. 2
    Of a student: absent from school without permission.
  3. 3
    Having no real substance; unimportant, vain, worthless.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Ham[let]. And vvhat in faith make you from VVittenberg? / Hora[tio]. A truant diſpoſition good my Lord.
  2. [W]ee are not to imitate them; nor to diſtruſt God in the removal of that Truant help to our Devotion, vvhich by him never vvas appointed.

Etymology

The adjective and noun are derived from Middle English truant, truand, truaund (“(adjective) idle; tending to vagrancy (uncertain; may be a use of the noun); (noun) beggar; mendicant friar; vagrant, wanderer; worthless person, rogue, scoundrel; one who is absent without leave, truant; one who shirks duties”), from Old French truant, truand (“(adjective) beggarly; roguish; (noun) a beggar, vagabond; a rogue”) (modern French truand), probably of Celtic origin, possibly from Gaulish *trugan, or from Breton truan (“wretched”), from Proto-Celtic *térh₁-tro-m, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- (“to drill, pierce; to rub; to turn”). Cognates * Breton truc (“beggar”) * Irish trogán, trogha (“destitute”) * Middle Dutch trawant, trouwant, truwant * Occitan truan * Portuguese truão * Scottish Gaelic trudanach (“vagabond”), truaghan (“wretched”) * Spanish truhan * Welsh tru, truan (“wretched”)

This word in other languages

herumgammelnd(Deutsch)

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 "truant"?
"truant" is spelled T-R-U-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹuːənt/.
What does "truant" mean?
As an adjective, "truant" means: Shirking or wandering from business or duty; straying; hence, idle; loitering.
How do you pronounce "truant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "truant" is /ˈtɹuːənt/. 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 "truant"?
The adjective and noun are derived from Middle English truant, truand, truaund (“(adjective) idle; tending to vagrancy (uncertain; may be a use of the noun); (noun) beggar; mendicant friar; vagrant, wanderer; worthless person, rogue, scoundrel; on... 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 "truant", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

testis#57,765teeter#57,761wacker#57,810Waleed#57,812

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list