Which to use
“threw” and “throw” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,266
- “threw” frequency rank
- #1,581
- “throw” frequency rank
- 4847
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | threw | throw |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past of throw | To hurl; to release (an object) with some force from one’s hands, an apparatus, etc. so that it moves rapidly through the air. |
Where the eye mixes threw and throw
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses threw with throw
A purely visual mix-up. threw (/θɹuː/) and throw (/θɹəʊ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - e in “threw” becomes o in “throw”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4847, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
threw is recorded at frequency rank #3,266, classified as averb, pronounced /θɹuː/. throw is at rank #1,581, tagged as averb, pronounced /θɹəʊ/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 4847, this pair ranks #517,466 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of threw vs throw
Shared letters: hrtw. Private to "threw": e. Private to "throw": o.
"threw" · 5 letters · shape CCCVC · "throw" · 5 letters · shape CCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "threw" and "throw" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "threw" vs "throw" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "threw" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "throw" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #517,466 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "threw" and "throw" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "threw vs throb". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #517,466 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.