thanks

/ˈθæŋks/

//ˈθæŋks// intj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"thanks" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“thanks” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #362. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#362
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Used to express appreciation or gratitude.

Corpus desk

Index EN-thanks · thanks · English

thanks · rank #362 · 10 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #362
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH t

Nearest frequency peer: t (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “thanks”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “thanks” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

thanks vs think
67% similar
thanks vs thats
67% similar
thanks vs trans
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for thanks
PropertyValue
Headwordthanks
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechInterjection
IPA/ˈθæŋks/
Letters6
Frequency rank#362
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “thanks”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).thankslands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “t” (#361), “video” (#363), “post” (#360). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “thanks” is #362. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around thanks (IPA /ˈθæŋks/), aninterjection. Corpus frequency is #362 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Used to express appreciation or gratitude.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for thanks, with forms such as "htanks", "tahnks", and "thakns". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "think", "thats", "trans", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English thanks, thankes, from Old English þancas (“thanks”), from Proto-Germanic *þankōs, nominative plural of *þankaz (“thought, gratitude”), from Proto-Indo-European *teng- (“to think, feel”). More at thank. The correct English form is thanks, spelled T-H-A-N-K-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Used to express appreciation or gratitude.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Could you give me a hand, please? — Yes, sure. — Thanks. —Have you got enough now? —Yes, thanks.
  2. Would you like some potatoes? — Thanks. —How many?

Etymology

From Middle English thanks, thankes, from Old English þancas (“thanks”), from Proto-Germanic *þankōs, nominative plural of *þankaz (“thought, gratitude”), from Proto-Indo-European *teng- (“to think, feel”). More at thank.

This word in other languages

gracias(Español)merci(Français)danke(Deutsch)obrigado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • htanks
  • tahnks
  • thakns
  • thankks
  • thankss
  • thannks
  • thansk
  • thhanks
  • thnaks
  • tthanks

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of thanks - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

htanks2tahnks2thakns2thankks1thankss1thannks1thansk2thhanks1
Edit distance from "thanks"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "thanks"?
"thanks" is spelled T-H-A-N-K-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈθæŋks/.
What does "thanks" mean?
As an interjection, "thanks" means: Used to express appreciation or gratitude.
What words are commonly confused with "thanks"?
"thanks" is commonly confused with "think", "thats", "trans". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "thanks"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "thanks" is /ˈθæŋks/. 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 "thanks"?
From Middle English thanks, thankes, from Old English þancas (“thanks”), from Proto-Germanic *þankōs, nominative plural of *þankaz (“thought, gratitude”), from Proto-Indo-European *teng- (“to think, feel”). More at thank. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "thanks", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

others#366social#367within#351health#345

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

trying10 variantsthey're10 variantsgeneral10 variantsseveral10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list