# thank

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈθæŋk/ · frequency rank #317

## Definitions
1. singular of thanks (“an expression of appreciation or gratitude; grateful feelings or thoughts; favour, goodwill, graciousness”)

## Etymology
From Middle English thank (“gratitude; expression of gratitude, thanks; attractiveness; commendation, praise; God’s grace; goodwill; merit, reward; mind, thought”), from Old English þanc (“gratitude; expression of gratitude, thanks; favour, grace; mind, thought; pleasure, satisfaction”), from Proto-Germanic *þankaz (“gratitude; expression of gratitude, thanks; mind, thought; remembrance”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *teng- (“to perceive; to think”).
Cognates
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Tonk (“thanks”), West Frisian tanke (“thanks”), Cimbrian dånke (“thanks”), Dutch dank (“thanks”), German Dank (“thanks”), Yiddish דאַנק (dank, “thanks”), Danish tak (“thanks”), Elfdalian tokk (“thanks”), Faroese takk, tøkk (“thanks”), Icelandic takk, þökk (“thanks”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk takk (“thanks”), Swedish tack (“thanks”), Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌲𐌺𐍃 (þagks, “thanks”), Vandalic *þank- (“thanks”); also Latin tongeō (“to know”).
For the think — thank relation, compare typologically Russian призна́тельный (priznátelʹnyj) (< знать (znatʹ).

## Easily confused with
- **that** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thank-vs-that)
- **then** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thank-vs-then)
- **thin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thank-vs-thin)
- **thaw** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thank-vs-thaw)
- **Tran** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thank-vs-tran)
- **tian** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thank-vs-tian)
- **thon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thank-vs-thon)
- **tink** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thank-vs-tink)
- **thar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thank-vs-thar)
- **tuan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thank-vs-tuan)
- **thay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thank-vs-thay)
- **tonk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thank-vs-tonk)
- **Thun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thank-vs-thun)
- **think** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thank-vs-think)
- **thing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thank-vs-thing)
- **track** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thank-vs-track)
- **thats** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thank-vs-thats)
- **thick** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thank-vs-thick)
- **trans** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thank-vs-trans)
- **trunk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thank-vs-trunk)

## Common misspellings (8)
`htank`, `tahnk`, `thakn`, `thankk`, `thannk`, `thhank`, `thnak`, `tthank`

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