Troupe and Troop Are the Same Word
A troupe is a company of performers. It is the French spelling of troop, kept separate in English so the theatre and the army do not overlap.
A troupe is a company of performers who work together. English already had *troop* from the same French word, so when the theatrical sense was borrowed again in the 1800s it kept the French spelling to stay distinct. The result is a rare thing: two spellings of one word, deliberately kept apart to separate soldiers from actors.
- A company of performers. *A dance troupe.*
- Trouper — a reliable, uncomplaining worker. *She's a real trouper.*
- Troop — soldiers, or a group. *Troop movements.*
- Trooper — a soldier or police officer. *A state trooper.*
- Swear like a trooper — swear a great deal. *He swears like a trooper.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | troupe | A touring troupe. |
| Plural | troupes | Two troupes. |
| Agent | trouper | An old trouper. |
| Doublet | troop | A troop of scouts. |
| Agent | trooper | A mounted trooper. |
- The troupe toured for eight months.Performers.
- She carried on despite the injury — a real trouper.The compliment.
- Troops were withdrawn in March.The military spelling.
Trouper or trooper?
- A real trouper — someone who carries on regardless; from the theatre
- A real trooper — increasingly common, and now widely accepted
- Swear like a trooper — always the soldier spelling
- Both spellings trace back to the same French word
- Style guides differ, so either can be defended
French *troupe*, a company, from Old French *trope*, a band. English borrowed it first as *troop* in the 1500s and again as *troupe* in the 1820s.
Is it a real trouper or trooper?
Trouper is the original, from the theatre. Trooper is now so common that most dictionaries record both.
Why does English have both troop and troupe?
It borrowed the same French word twice. The second borrowing kept the French spelling to distinguish performers from soldiers.