trifle and triple differ by a single letter, buried far enough into the word to be easy to miss. trifle means “a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate”. triple means “a base hit at which the batter stops safely at third base”. triple is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈtɹaɪfəl/
1.n.a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
2.n.a detail that is considered insignificant
3.n.something of small importance
| trifle | triple | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈtɹaɪfəl/ | /ˈtɹɪpəl/ |
| Said | TRAHY-fuhl | TRIP-uhl |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 6 | 6 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun, verb, adjective |
| Senses | 6 | 7 |
| How common | Familiar | Common |
| Synonyms | none recorded | three-base hit, three-bagger |
Full entry for trifle · Full entry for triple · More comparisons
/ˈtɹɪpəl/
1.n.a base hit at which the batter stops safely at third base
2.n.a set of three similar things considered as a unit
3.n.a quantity that is three times as great as another