The terms “trailer” and “trailor” are quite consistent in spelling, so many would assume that they are perhaps variants of one another. At the same time, folks are often unsure of the correct term to use, so we will be going over both terms’ meanings and usage.
Trailor or Trailer: Which Spelling Is Correct?
The correctly spelled term is “trailer”. The term “trailer” is used to describe the portion of an unpowered vehicle that is towed behind another vehicle. At the same time, we should consider the spelling “trailor” to be entirely incorrect and unusable.
Considering that the term “trailor” is not thought of as a proper or correct word, we should not consider it interchangeable or a synonym for the term “trailer”.
Trailor
The term “trailor” has no proper or adequate definition. This is because the term “trailor” is not grammatically correct, and therefore, should not ever be used. If this term is used, it is often immediately highlighted as an incorrectly spelled variant of “trailer”.
If we are to take a look amongst any online or physical copy of a dictionary, we would not be able to find a definition for this term. In fact, most online dictionaries will then prompt one to search for “trailer” instead, as this is the correct spelling.
It’s now time to take a look at a few examples that use the term “trailor” in a sentence. It’s important for readers to remember that all of these examples are incorrect, as “trailor” should be replaced with the correctly spelled term, “trailer”.
- Incorrect: They detached their trailor and began to set up their campsite.
- Incorrect: The car pulled the trailor, which was also carrying a boat.
- Incorrect: He attached a trailor to the back of his truck.
- Incorrect: Before driving away, make sure the brake lights on your trailor are working.
- Incorrect: The car was pulling a small trailor with a motorcycle on it.
- Incorrect: I accidentally left the trailor unlocked and someone stole my generator.
- Incorrect: We hooked the trailor to the back of the old pickup truck.
Trailer
We should use the term “trailer” when we are wishing to describe an unpowered vehicle towed by another or an excerpt or series of excerpts from a movie or program used to advertise it in advance. This is considered the only proper way to spell this term, unlike the term “trailor”.
We can also use the term “trailer” to describe a vehicle designed to serve wherever parked as a temporary dwelling or place of business.
When looking at Cambridge Dictionary, it is clear that the term “trailer” is defined as a box on wheels that is towed by a vehicle and is used for taking things from one place to another, a wheeled vehicle for living or traveling in, especially for holidays, that contains beds and cooking equipment and can be towed by a vehicle, or a short and enticing advertisement for a film or television show – essentially, a preview.
Furthermore, we will take a moment to look over some examples that show how to correctly use the term “trailer” in a sentence:
- I saw a trailer for the new movie coming out in August – it looks amazing!
- The truck was pulling a trailer with a bunch of garbage in it.
- She attached the trailer to her hook on the back of her truck.
- The trailer started shaking and it broke away from the back of the truck.
- The trailer on the back of the car was carrying the family’s bicycles.
- We hooked the tractor-trailer to the back of the farm truck.
- The trailer was old, but it worked well for camping purposes.
Which Is Used the Most?
When we take an in-depth look at the provided by Google Ngram Viewer, it’s made apparent that the term “trailer” has far more frequent usage than the term “trailor”. We can note that this is consistent from the beginning of the 20th century, into the current timeframe.
Furthermore, we can attribute this trend to have a lot to do with the term “trailor” which is not correct and is occasionally misused.
Final Thoughts
The term “trailor” is incorrect and should not be used. Opposing this, the term “trailer” is correct and can be used to describe a preview for a movie or show, an unpowered vehicle that is pulled behind another, or a vehicle meant for living in or traveling in.
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.
