trypsin

/ˈtɹɪp.sɪn/

//ˈtɹɪp.sɪn// noun

"trypsin" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“trypsin” is uncommon English (frequency #77,297 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,297
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A digestive enzyme that cleaves peptide bonds (a serine protease)

Corpus desk

Index EN-trypsin · trypsin · English

trypsin · rank #77,297 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #77,297
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH trow

Nearest frequency peer: trow (-2 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 “trypsin”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for trypsin
PropertyValue
Headwordtrypsin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɹɪp.sɪn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#77,297
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “trypsin” 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).trypsinfalls 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: “trow” (#77,295), “tripwire” (#77,294), “treeless” (#77,293). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “trypsin” is #77,297. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

trypsin is uncommon English at frequency #77,297 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtɹɪp.sɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A digestive enzyme that cleaves peptide bonds (a serine protease)".

trypsin doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek τρῖψις (trîpsis, “rubbing”) + -in, since the substance was first found on rubbing down the pancreas with glycerine. The correct English form is trypsin, spelled T-R-Y-P-S-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A digestive enzyme that cleaves peptide bonds (a serine protease)

Etymology

From Ancient Greek τρῖψις (trîpsis, “rubbing”) + -in, since the substance was first found on rubbing down the pancreas with glycerine.

This word in other languages

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 "trypsin"?
"trypsin" is spelled T-R-Y-P-S-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹɪp.sɪn/.
What does "trypsin" mean?
As a noun, "trypsin" means: A digestive enzyme that cleaves peptide bonds (a serine protease)
How do you pronounce "trypsin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "trypsin" is /ˈtɹɪp.sɪn/. 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 "trypsin"?
From Ancient Greek τρῖψις (trîpsis, “rubbing”) + -in, since the substance was first found on rubbing down the pancreas with glycerine. 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 "trypsin", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list