# thyme vs thymus

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### thyme
*noun · IPA /taɪm/ · frequency rank #26,628*
Any plant of the labiate genus Thymus, such as garden thyme (Thymus vulgaris), a warm, pungent aromatic, that is much used to give a relish to seasoning and soups.

### thymus
*noun · IPA /ˈθaɪ.məs/ · frequency rank #48,528*
Ellipsis of thymus gland (“A ductless gland, consisting mainly of lymphatic tissue, located behind the top of the breastbone. It is most active during puberty, after which it shrinks in size. It plays an important role in the development of the immune system and produces lymphocytes.”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thyme-vs-thymus