merrythought

/ˈmɛɹɪθɔːt/

//ˈmɛɹɪθɔːt// noun

"merrythought" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“merrythought” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The wishbone or furcula.

Corpus desk

Index EN-merrythought · merrythought · English

merrythought · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" 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 merrythought
PropertyValue
Headwordmerrythought
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɛɹɪθɔːt/
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “merrythought” in English

merrythoughtfalls 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

merrythought is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmɛɹɪθɔːt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The wishbone or furcula.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for merrythought in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From merry + thought, traditionally explained with reference to the pleasant thoughts imagined when the bone is ritually broken. The correct English form is merrythought, spelled M-E-R-R-Y-T-H-O-U-G-H-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The wishbone or furcula.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. One puts yᵉ merrithought on his nose (slightly) like a paire of spectacles, and shakes his head till he shakes it off his nose.
  2. All Birds want the Channel-bones in the Breast, instead whereof they have a bone, which we call the Merry thought.

Etymology

From merry + thought, traditionally explained with reference to the pleasant thoughts imagined when the bone is ritually broken.

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 "merrythought"?
"merrythought" is spelled M-E-R-R-Y-T-H-O-U-G-H-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɛɹɪθɔːt/.
What does "merrythought" mean?
As a noun, "merrythought" means: The wishbone or furcula.
How do you pronounce "merrythought"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "merrythought" is /ˈmɛɹɪθɔːt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "merrythought"?
From merry + thought, traditionally explained with reference to the pleasant thoughts imagined when the bone is ritually broken. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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