tryptophan

/ˈtɹɪptə(ʊ)fæn/

//ˈtɹɪptə(ʊ)fæn// noun

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

"tryptophan" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tryptophan” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #47,977. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#47,977
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An essential amino acid with an indole side chain; present in many foods, especially chocolate, oats, banana and milk; it is essential for normal growth and development and is the precursor of sero...

Corpus desk

Index EN-tryptophan · tryptophan · English

tryptophan · rank #47,977 · 17 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #47,977
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH truthfulness

Nearest frequency peer: truthfulness (-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 “tryptophan”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tryptophan” 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
Key facts for tryptophan
PropertyValue
Headwordtryptophan
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɹɪptə(ʊ)fæn/
Letters10
Frequency rank#47,977
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tryptophan”

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).tryptophanlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “truthfulness” (#47,976), “typescript” (#47,979), “trellis” (#47,974). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tryptophan” is #47,977. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around tryptophan (IPA /ˈtɹɪptə(ʊ)fæn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #47,977 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Dominant gloss: "An essential amino acid with an indole side chain; present in many foods, especially chocolate, oats, banana and milk; it is essential for normal growth and development and is the precursor of sero...".

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for tryptophan, with forms such as "rtyptophan", "trpytophan", and "trryptophan". 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. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From German Tryptophan, from Ancient Greek φαίνω (phaínō, “to appear”). The correct English form is tryptophan, spelled T-R-Y-P-T-O-P-H-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An essential amino acid with an indole side chain; present in many foods, especially chocolate, oats, banana and milk; it is essential for normal growth and development and is the precursor of serotonin and niacin; any specific form of this compound, or any derivative of it.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The quickest way to raise serotonin levels again is to send more tryptophan into the brain, because serotonin is made from tryptophan.
  2. Tryptophan is an amino acid found in many foods, including dairy and turkey, which is one of the reasons commonly given for why so many of us feel so sleepy after our Thanksgiving feasts.

Etymology

From German Tryptophan, from Ancient Greek φαίνω (phaínō, “to appear”).

Synonyms

Trptryp

This word in other languages

triptófano(Español)tryptophane(Français)Tryptophan(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rtyptophan
  • trpytophan
  • trryptophan
  • trypotphan
  • trypptophan
  • tryptohpan
  • tryptopahn
  • tryptophann
  • tryptophhan
  • tryptophna
  • tryptopphan
  • tryptpohan
  • trypttophan
  • trytpophan
  • tryyptophan
  • ttryptophan
  • tyrptophan

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

rtyptophan2trpytophan2trryptophan1trypotphan2trypptophan1tryptohpan2tryptopahn2tryptophann1
Edit distance from "tryptophan"

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 "tryptophan"?
"tryptophan" is spelled T-R-Y-P-T-O-P-H-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹɪptə(ʊ)fæn/.
What does "tryptophan" mean?
As a noun, "tryptophan" means: An essential amino acid with an indole side chain; present in many foods, especially chocolate, oats, banana and milk; it is essential for normal growth and development and is the precursor of sero...
What are common misspellings of "tryptophan"?
Common misspellings include "rtyptophan", "trpytophan", "trryptophan", "trypotphan", "trypptophan". The correct spelling is "tryptophan".
How do you pronounce "tryptophan"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tryptophan" is /ˈtɹɪptə(ʊ)fæn/. 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 "tryptophan"?
From German Tryptophan, from Ancient Greek φαίνω (phaínō, “to appear”). 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 "tryptophan", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

typescript#47,979trafficker#47,970undersized#47,984unmodified#47,990

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

transphobia17 variantsunderstaffed17 variantstachycardia17 variantssmokescreen17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list