turgid

/ˈtɜː.d͡ʒɪd/

//ˈtɜː.d͡ʒɪd// adj

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

"turgid" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“turgid” is uncommon English (frequency #64,078 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,078
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Distended beyond the natural state by some internal agent, especially fluid, or expansive force.

Corpus desk

Index EN-turgid · turgid · English

turgid · rank #64,078 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #64,078
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH Tuileries

Nearest frequency peer: Tuileries (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “turgid”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for turgid
PropertyValue
Headwordturgid
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈtɜː.d͡ʒɪd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#64,078
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “turgid” 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).turgidfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Tuileries” (#64,077), “Turton” (#64,079), “Trivandrum” (#64,075). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “turgid” is #64,078. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

turgid is uncommon English at frequency #64,078 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈtɜː.d͡ʒɪd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

turgid doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin turgidus (“swollen, inflated”), from turgeō (“to swell”). The correct English form is turgid, spelled T-U-R-G-I-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Distended beyond the natural state by some internal agent, especially fluid, or expansive force.
  2. 2
    Of a river, inundated with excess water as from a flood; swollen.
  3. 3
    Overly complex and difficult to understand; grandiloquent; bombastic.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I have a turgid limb.
  2. A vegetable that is fully moist and firm will seem both crisp and more tender than the same vegetable limp from water loss. When we bite down on a vegetable turgid with water, the already-stressed cell walls readily break and the cells burst open; in a limp vegetable, chewing compresses the walls together, and we have to exert much more pressure to break…

Etymology

From Latin turgidus (“swollen, inflated”), from turgeō (“to swell”).

This word in other languages

turgente(Español)turgide(Français)geschwollen(Deutsch)empolado(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 "turgid"?
"turgid" is spelled T-U-R-G-I-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɜː.d͡ʒɪd/.
What does "turgid" mean?
As an adjective, "turgid" means: Distended beyond the natural state by some internal agent, especially fluid, or expansive force.
How do you pronounce "turgid"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "turgid" is /ˈtɜː.d͡ʒɪd/. 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 "turgid"?
From Latin turgidus (“swollen, inflated”), from turgeō (“to swell”). 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 "turgid", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Turton#64,079Tomoko#64,067tattle#64,052warder#64,115

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list