true

/tɹuː/

//tɹuː// adj

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

"true" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“true” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #393 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#393
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Conforming to the actual state of reality or fact; factually correct.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

true vs Tu
25% similar
true vs try
50% similar
true vs tub
50% similar

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

Key facts for true
PropertyValue
Headwordtrue
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/tɹuː/
Letters4
Frequency rank#393
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “true” 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). true 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 true is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /tɹuː/. Corpus data places it at rank #393 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for true, with forms such as "rtue", "treu", and "trrue". 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, "Tu", "try", "tub", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English trewe, from Old English trīewe, (Mercian) trēowe (“trusty, faithful”), from Proto-Germanic *triwwiz (compare Saterland Frisian trjou (“honest”), Dutch getrouw and trouw, German treu, Norwegian and Swedish trygg (“safe, secure’”)), from p… The correct English form is true, spelled T-R-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Conforming to the actual state of reality or fact; factually correct.
  2. 2
    Conforming to the actual state of reality or fact; factually correct.
  3. 3
    Conforming to a rule or pattern; exact; accurate.
  4. 4
    Of the state in Boolean logic that indicates an affirmative or positive result.
  5. 5
    Loyal, faithful.
  6. 6
    Genuine; legitimate; valid; sensu stricto.
  7. 7
    Genuine; legitimate; valid; sensu stricto.
  8. 8
    Accurate; following a path toward the target.
  9. 9
    Correctly aligned or calibrated, without deviation.
  10. 10
    Fair, unbiased, not loaded.
  11. 11
    based on actual historical events.

Etymology

From Middle English trewe, from Old English trīewe, (Mercian) trēowe (“trusty, faithful”), from Proto-Germanic *triwwiz (compare Saterland Frisian trjou (“honest”), Dutch getrouw and trouw, German treu, Norwegian and Swedish trygg (“safe, secure’”)), from pre-Germanic *drewh₂yos, from Proto-Indo-European *drewh₂- (“steady, firm”) (compare Irish dearbh (“sure”), Old Prussian druwis (“faith”), Ancient Greek δροόν (droón, “firm”)), extension of *dóru (“tree”) (possibly also Proto-Slavic *sъdorvъ (“healthy”) from the same root). More at tree. For the semantic development, compare Latin robustus (“tough”) from robur (“red oak”).

This word in other languages

cierto(Español)vrai(Français)wahr(Deutsch)verdadeiro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: rtue,treu,trrue,ttrue,ture

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of true - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

rtue2treu2trrue1ttrue1ture2
Edit distance from "true"

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 "true"?
"true" is spelled T-R-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /tɹuː/.
What does "true" mean?
As an adjective, "true" means: Conforming to the actual state of reality or fact; factually correct.
What words are commonly confused with "true"?
"true" is commonly confused with "Tu", "try", "tub". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "true"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "true" is /tɹuː/. 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 "true"?
From Middle English trewe, from Old English trīewe, (Mercian) trēowe (“trusty, faithful”), from Proto-Germanic *triwwiz (compare Saterland Frisian trjou (“honest”), Dutch getrouw and trouw, German treu, Norwegian and Swedish trygg (“safe, secure’”... 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 “true”

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

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