thug

[θʌɡ]

/[θʌɡ]/ noun

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

The verdict

“thug” is uncommon German (frequency #99,176 among 35,386 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#99,176
frequency rank, German
35,386
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - eine kriminelle Person – oft Mitglied einer Verbrecherbande, die durch hohe Brutalität auffällt

Key facts for thug
PropertyValue
Headwordthug
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[θʌɡ]
Letters4
Frequency rank#99,176
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “thug” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). thug lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

thug is uncommon German at frequency #99,176 among 35,386 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [θʌɡ]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for thug in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is thug, spelled T-H-U-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    eine kriminelle Person – oft Mitglied einer Verbrecherbande, die durch hohe Brutalität auffällt
  2. 2
    Mitglied der Thugee, einer ehemaligen indischen Gruppe von Mördern und Straßenräubern

This word in other languages

matraqueur(Français)

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 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "thug"?
"thug" is spelled T-H-U-G. The IPA pronunciation is [θʌɡ].
What does "thug" mean?
As a noun, "thug" means: eine kriminelle Person – oft Mitglied einer Verbrecherbande, die durch hohe Brutalität auffällt
How do you pronounce "thug"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "thug" is [θʌɡ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "thug" come from?
"thug" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Using “thug”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is T-H-U-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [θʌɡ] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words

Other uncommon German words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list