Trolly or Trolley – Which Spelling Is Correct?

Have you ever used a “Trolly”? Or should we say “Trolley”, instead?

We want to know what is the correct spelling for this word: what’s the form we should use, and what’s form we should avoid. We also want to know what it means and how to use this word.

Trolly or Trolley – Which Spelling Is Correct?

“Trolly” and “Trolley” aren’t synonyms. “Trolley” is the correct word to indicate a cart with wheels used to carry heavy and large things. You can use the word “Trolley” if you want to. “Trolly” is a common misspelling of the correct word and, as such, should be avoided.

Take a look at some examples:

• Please, grab a trolly for me at the entrance of the supermarket. (incorrect)
• Please, grab a trolley for me at the entrance of the supermarket.

“Trolly” doesn’t work to properly convey the meaning we intend, in the first sentence of the examples. Because it’s an incorrect word, it makes the sentence off. We should always avoid using it.

“Trolley”, on the other hand, works perfectly fine to indicate what we need someone to get us at the entrance of the supermarket. You can use this word, whenever you need it.

Trolly

“Trolly” is an incorrect spelling o the word “Trolley”. As with any incorrect form, it shouldn’t be used. It intends to indicate a small cart with wheels that can be pushed or pulled to carry things, but it doesn’t work because it’s an incorrect form.

Is “Trolly” a word, though, maybe one that could be used in a different context? We look up The Cambridge Dictionary and according to it, “Trolly” isn’t a word.

Let’s take a look at some incorrect examples that use the word “Trolly”, followed by a corrected version of the same sentence.

1. Did you get a shopping trolly? (incorrect)
2. Did you get a shopping trolley?

3. The flight attendant offered drinks from her trolly. (incorrect)
4. The flight attendant offered drinks from her trolley.

5. I think you broke the trolly. (incorrect)
6. I think you broke the trolley.

Trolley

A “Trolley” is a small vehicle with two or four wheels that can be pushed (or pulled) to transport large or heavy things. For example, a shopping “Trolley” we use at supermarkets or a small “Trolley” used to transport food and drinks. It can also be a light bed on wheels, used to transport patients to the hospital.

On top of the definitions mentioned above, The Cambridge Dictionary also adds that a “Trolley” can be “an electric vehicle that transports people, usually in cities, and goes along metal tracks in the road”. San Francisco and Philadelphia are examples of cities in the US that have “Trolleys”.

Let’s take a look at some examples of sentences with the word “Trolley”:

1. The shopping trolley was broken.
2. You almost ran me over with that trolley!
3. Patients lying in trolleys lined the hospital hallways.
4. We need to remove some items from the trolley.
5. The shopping trolley refuses to move in the way it’s pushed.

Which Is Used the Most?

Which one of those forms is used more often, “Trolly” or “Trolley”? Take a look at the graph from Google Ngram Viewer below.

“Trolley” is the most used word, which appears more often in people’s conversations. This is what we expected from the graph because “Trolley” is the correct word which we should all use anyway.

However, we can’t help to mention that the usage of the word “Trolley” has been dropping considerably over the years. The usage of the word “Trolley” peaked between 1905 and 1915 and, since then, those numbers have been consistently falling.

We wonder if this is the case because “Trolleys” are becoming less common and are, as objects, used less often.

The word “Trolly” appears at the bottom of the graph. It’s never been relevant and is rarely used. This is also what we expected to see because this is an incorrect word we shouldn’t use.

Final Thoughts

“Trolley” is a cart with wheels used to carry heavy and large things. “Trolley” is the correct spelling for this word, and there are no alternate forms. “Trolly” is an incorrect form of the word “Trolley” and shouldn’t be used. “Trolly” and “Trolley” aren’t synonyms and can’t interchange.