by thunder

adv

"by-thunder" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“by thunder” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Used for emphasis, sometimes with a threatening implication.

Corpus desk

Index EN-by-thunder · by thunder · English

by thunder · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 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.

Key facts for by thunder
PropertyValue
Headwordby thunder
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “by thunder” in English

by thunderfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

by thunder is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Used for emphasis, sometimes with a threatening implication.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for by thunder in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct English form is by thunder, spelled B-Y- -T-H-U-N-D-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Used for emphasis, sometimes with a threatening implication.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how by thunder appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. "Mr. Pillow, Sir, none of your impertinence, or I will chastise you as well as this fellow." "That's a two handed game, by thunder," said Long Tom, "[…] I dare you to deadly combat. […]"
  2. "Have it out with him to-night. Fair and square. Out he goes, Edmund, neck and crop. Out, by thunder."

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "by thunder"?
"by thunder" is spelled B-Y- -T-H-U-N-D-E-R.
What does "by thunder" mean?
As an adverb, "by thunder" means: Used for emphasis, sometimes with a threatening implication.
What language does "by thunder" come from?
"by thunder" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list