trunk

/tɹʌŋk/

//tɹʌŋk// noun

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

"trunk" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“trunk” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,851. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,851
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Part of a body.

Corpus desk

Index EN-trunk · trunk · English

trunk · rank #6,851 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,851
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tribes

Nearest frequency peer: tribes (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “trunk”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “trunk” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

trunk vs tun
60% similar
trunk vs tune
60% similar
trunk vs tuna
60% similar

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

Key facts for trunk
PropertyValue
Headwordtrunk
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/tɹʌŋk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#6,851
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “trunk”

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).trunklands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “tribes” (#6,850), “uncertainty” (#6,852), “tribal” (#6,849). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “trunk” is #6,851. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around trunk (IPA /tɹʌŋk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,851 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 18 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for trunk, with forms such as "rtunk", "trnuk", and "trrunk". 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, "tun", "tune", "tuna", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English tronke, trunke, from Old French tronc (“alms box, tree trunk, headless body”), from Latin truncus (“a stock, lopped tree trunk”), from truncus (“cut off, maimed, mutilated”). For the verb, compare French tronquer, and see truncate. Doubl… The correct English form is trunk, spelled T-R-U-N-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Part of a body.
  2. 2
    Part of a body.
  3. 3
    Part of a body.
  4. 4
    A container.
  5. 5
    A container.
  6. 6
    A container.
  7. 7
    A container.
  8. 8
    A channel for flow of some kind.
  9. 9
    A channel for flow of some kind.
  10. 10
    A channel for flow of some kind.
  11. 11
    A channel for flow of some kind.
  12. 12
    A channel for flow of some kind.
  13. 13
    In software projects under source control: the most current source tree, from which the latest unstable builds (so-called "trunk builds") are compiled.
  14. 14
    The main line or body of anything.
  15. 15
    The main line or body of anything.
  16. 16
    The main line or body of anything.
  17. 17
    A large pipe forming the piston rod of a steam engine, of sufficient diameter to allow one end of the connecting rod to be attached to the crank, and the other end to pass within the pipe directly to the piston, thus making the engine more compact.
  18. 18
    Ellipsis of swimming trunks.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy. Mail bags, so I understand, are being put on board. Stewards, carrying cabin trunks, swarm in the corridors.
  2. To lie, like pawns, lock'd up in chests and trunks

Etymology

From Middle English tronke, trunke, from Old French tronc (“alms box, tree trunk, headless body”), from Latin truncus (“a stock, lopped tree trunk”), from truncus (“cut off, maimed, mutilated”). For the verb, compare French tronquer, and see truncate. Doublet of truncus and tronk.

This word in other languages

tronco(Español)tronc(Français)Stamm(Deutsch)baú(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rtunk
  • trnuk
  • trrunk
  • trukn
  • trunkk
  • trunnk
  • ttrunk
  • turnk

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

rtunk2trnuk2trrunk1trukn2trunkk1trunnk1ttrunk1turnk2
Edit distance from "trunk"

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 "trunk"?
"trunk" is spelled T-R-U-N-K. The IPA pronunciation is /tɹʌŋk/.
What does "trunk" mean?
As a noun, "trunk" means: Part of a body.
What words are commonly confused with "trunk"?
"trunk" is commonly confused with "tun", "tune", "tuna". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "trunk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "trunk" is /tɹʌŋk/. 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 "trunk"?
From Middle English tronke, trunke, from Old French tronc (“alms box, tree trunk, headless body”), from Latin truncus (“a stock, lopped tree trunk”), from truncus (“cut off, maimed, mutilated”). For the verb, compare French tronquer, and see trunc... 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 "trunk", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tires#6,848socks#6,838badge#6,870ranch#6,826

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

varied8 variantssuited8 variantsAngela8 variantsseized8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list