bethink
/bɪˈθɪŋk/
"bethink" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“bethink” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To think about, to recollect.
Corpus desk
Index EN-bethink · bethink · English
bethink · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "B" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | bethink |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /bɪˈθɪŋk/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “bethink” in English
Rare enough to double-check
bethink is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /bɪˈθɪŋk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
bethink doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English bethenken, bithenchen (“to think about, consider”) from Old English beþenċan, biþenċan (“to think upon, remind, consider, remember”), from Proto-Germanic *biþankijaną; equivalent to be- + think. Akin to Old High German pidenchan (German … The correct English form is bethink, spelled B-E-T-H-I-N-K.
Definition
- 1To think about, to recollect.
- 2To think of (something or somebody) or that (followed by clause); to remind oneself, to consider, to reflect upon.
- 3To meditate, ponder; to consider.
- 4To determine, resolve.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how bethink appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Baſ[ſanio]. Be aſſured you may. / Iew [i.e., Shylock]. I will be aſſured I may: and that I may be aſſured, I will bethinke mee, may I ſpeake with Anthonio?
Mens daily occaſions for themſelves or friends, and the neceſities of common life, require the doing of a thouſand things vvithin the compaſs of a fevv dayes, for vvhich it vvould puzzle the beſt Textman that liveth; readily to bethink himself of a ſentence in the Bible, clear enough to ſatisfie a ſcrupulous conſcience of the lavvfulneſs and expediency of…
Etymology
From Middle English bethenken, bithenchen (“to think about, consider”) from Old English beþenċan, biþenċan (“to think upon, remind, consider, remember”), from Proto-Germanic *biþankijaną; equivalent to be- + think. Akin to Old High German pidenchan (German bedenken), Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐌸𐌰𐌲𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (biþagkjan), Dutch bedenken.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.