truth

/tɹuːθ/

//tɹuːθ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“truth” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #960 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#960
frequency rank, English
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - True facts, genuine depiction or statements of reality.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

truth vs tut
60% similar
truth vs tutu
60% similar
truth vs truths
83% similar

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

Key facts for truth
PropertyValue
Headwordtruth
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/tɹuːθ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#960
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “truth” 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). truth 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 truth is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /tɹuːθ/. Corpus data places it at rank #960 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for truth, with forms such as "rtuth", "trruth", and "trtuh". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "tut", "tutu", "truths", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English trouthe, truthe, trewthe, treowthe, from Old English trēowþ, trīewþ (“truth, veracity, faith, fidelity, loyalty, honour, pledge, covenant”), from Proto-Germanic *triwwiþō (“promise, covenant, contract”), from Proto-Indo-European *drū- (“… The correct English form is truth, spelled T-R-U-T-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    True facts, genuine depiction or statements of reality.
  2. 2
    Conformity to fact or reality; correctness, accuracy.
  3. 3
    The state or quality of being true to someone or something.
  4. 4
    Faithfulness, fidelity.
  5. 5
    A pledge of loyalty or faith.
  6. 6
    Conformity to rule; exactness; close correspondence with an example, mood, model, etc.
  7. 7
    That which is real, in a deeper sense; spiritual or ‘genuine’ reality.
  8. 8
    Something acknowledged to be true; a true statement or axiom.
  9. 9
    Topness; the property of a truth quark.
  10. 10
    In the game truth or dare, the choice to truthfully answer a question put forth.

Etymology

From Middle English trouthe, truthe, trewthe, treowthe, from Old English trēowþ, trīewþ (“truth, veracity, faith, fidelity, loyalty, honour, pledge, covenant”), from Proto-Germanic *triwwiþō (“promise, covenant, contract”), from Proto-Indo-European *drū- (“tree”), from Proto-Indo-European *deru- (“firm, solid”), equivalent to true + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Doublet of troth. Cognate with Norwegian trygd (“trustworthiness, security, insurance”), Icelandic tryggð (“loyalty, fidelity”).

Synonyms

truthstraight goodsveraciousnessveracityveridicalityverity

Antonyms

falsehoodfalsitylienonsensedriveluntruthhalf-truthfalseness

This word in other languages

verdad(Español)vérité(Français)Wahrheit(Deutsch)verdade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: rtuth,trruth,trtuh,truht,truthh,trutth,ttruth,turth

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of truth - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

rtuth2trruth1trtuh2truht2truthh1trutth1ttruth1turth2
Edit distance from "truth"

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 "truth"?
"truth" is spelled T-R-U-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /tɹuːθ/.
What does "truth" mean?
As a noun, "truth" means: True facts, genuine depiction or statements of reality.
What words are commonly confused with "truth"?
"truth" is commonly confused with "tut", "tutu", "truths". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "truth"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "truth" is /tɹuːθ/. 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 "truth"?
From Middle English trouthe, truthe, trewthe, treowthe, from Old English trēowþ, trīewþ (“truth, veracity, faith, fidelity, loyalty, honour, pledge, covenant”), from Proto-Germanic *triwwiþō (“promise, covenant, contract”), from Proto-Indo-Europea... 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 “truth”

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

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