truncate

/tɹʌŋˈkeɪt/

//tɹʌŋˈkeɪt// verb

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

"truncate" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“truncate” is uncommon English (frequency #71,991 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,991
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To shorten (something) by, or as if by, cutting part of it off.

Corpus desk

Index EN-truncate · truncate · English

truncate · rank #71,991 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #71,991
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH ues

Nearest frequency peer: ues (+4 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 “truncate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for truncate
PropertyValue
Headwordtruncate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/tɹʌŋˈkeɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#71,991
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “truncate” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).truncatefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “ues” (#71,995), “ultramarine” (#71,996), “Traore” (#71,985). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “truncate” is #71,991. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

truncate is uncommon English at frequency #71,991 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /tɹʌŋˈkeɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for truncate, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin truncātus, perfect passive participle of truncō (“maim, reduce to a trunk”); see trunk as a verb. The correct English form is truncate, spelled T-R-U-N-C-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To shorten (something) by, or as if by, cutting part of it off.
  2. 2
    To shorten (a decimal number) by removing trailing (or leading) digits.
  3. 3
    To replace a corner by a plane (or to make a similar change to a crystal).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The script was truncated to leave time for commercials.
  2. All these great plans were in vain, however, for in the cold dawn following the "Mania" years of 1845-46 the M.B.M. & M.J.R. project was truncated to an 11½-mile line from Ambergate to Rowsley.

Etymology

From Latin truncātus, perfect passive participle of truncō (“maim, reduce to a trunk”); see trunk as a verb.

Synonyms

round down

This word in other languages

truncar(Español)tronquer(Français)kürzen(Deutsch)arredondar(Português)

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 "truncate"?
"truncate" is spelled T-R-U-N-C-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /tɹʌŋˈkeɪt/.
What does "truncate" mean?
As a verb, "truncate" means: To shorten (something) by, or as if by, cutting part of it off.
How do you pronounce "truncate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "truncate" is /tɹʌŋˈkeɪt/. 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 "truncate"?
From Latin truncātus, perfect passive participle of truncō (“maim, reduce to a trunk”); see trunk as a verb. 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 "truncate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

unpaired#72,005unseeded#72,007teletype#71,971Valerius#72,011

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list