truculent

/ˈtɹʌk.jʊ.lənt/

//ˈtɹʌk.jʊ.lənt// adj

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

"truculent" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“truculent” is uncommon English (frequency #94,364 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#94,364
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Cruel or savage.

Corpus desk

Index EN-truculent · truculent · English

truculent · rank #94,364 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #94,364
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH Triggs

Nearest frequency peer: Triggs (-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 “truculent”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for truculent
PropertyValue
Headwordtruculent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈtɹʌk.jʊ.lənt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#94,364
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “truculent” 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).truculentfalls 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: “Triggs” (#94,363), “Tuke” (#94,366), “turbofan” (#94,368). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “truculent” is #94,364. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

truculent is uncommon English at frequency #94,364 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈtɹʌk.jʊ.lənt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for truculent, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested circa 1540, from Middle French, from Latin truculentus (“fierce, savage”), from trux (“fierce, wild”). The correct English form is truculent, spelled T-R-U-C-U-L-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Cruel or savage.
  2. 2
    Defiant or uncompromising.
  3. 3
    Eager or quick to argue, fight or start a conflict.
  4. 4
    Violent; rude; scathing; savage; harsh.
  5. 5
    Destructive; deadly.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The truculent soldiers gave us a steely-eyed stare.
  2. She really was a most charming girl, and might have passed for a captive fairy, whom that truculent Ogre, Old Barley, had pressed into his service.

Etymology

First attested circa 1540, from Middle French, from Latin truculentus (“fierce, savage”), from trux (“fierce, wild”).

This word in other languages

truculento(Español)agressif(Français)grausam(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 "truculent"?
"truculent" is spelled T-R-U-C-U-L-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹʌk.jʊ.lənt/.
What does "truculent" mean?
As an adjective, "truculent" means: Cruel or savage.
How do you pronounce "truculent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "truculent" is /ˈtɹʌk.jʊ.lənt/. 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 "truculent"?
First attested circa 1540, from Middle French, from Latin truculentus (“fierce, savage”), from trux (“fierce, wild”). 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 "truculent", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tetralogy#94,332tediously#94,326vibrantly#94,410voltmeter#94,417

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list