thaw

/θɔː/

//θɔː// verb

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

"thaw" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“thaw” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #23,130 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#23,130
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To gradually melt, dissolve, or become fluid; to soften from frozen.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

thaw vs the
50% similar
thaw vs tho
50% similar
thaw vs thy
50% similar

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

Key facts for thaw
PropertyValue
Headwordthaw
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/θɔː/
Letters4
Frequency rank#23,130
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “thaw” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for thaw is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /θɔː/. Corpus data places it at rank #23,130 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for thaw, with forms such as "htaw", "tahw", and "thaww". 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, "the", "tho", "thy", 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 thowen, thawen, from Old English þawian, *þāwan (“to thaw”), from Proto-West Germanic *þauwjan, from Proto-Germanic *þawjaną (“to thaw”), from Proto-Indo-European *teh₂- (“to melt”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian daie, dauje (“to thaw”)… The correct English form is thaw, spelled T-H-A-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    To gradually melt, dissolve, or become fluid; to soften from frozen.
  2. 2
    To become sufficiently warm to melt ice and snow, said in reference to the weather.
  3. 3
    To grow gentle or genial.
  4. 4
    To gradually cause frozen things (such as earth, snow, ice) to melt, soften, or dissolve.

Etymology

From Middle English thowen, thawen, from Old English þawian, *þāwan (“to thaw”), from Proto-West Germanic *þauwjan, from Proto-Germanic *þawjaną (“to thaw”), from Proto-Indo-European *teh₂- (“to melt”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian daie, dauje (“to thaw”), West Frisian teie (“to thaw”), Dutch dooien (“to thaw”), German Low German deien (“to thaw”), German tauen (“to thaw”), Swedish töa (“to thaw”), Icelandic þeyja (“to thaw”).

This word in other languages

descongelar(Español)dégeler(Français)tauen(Deutsch)descongelar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: htaw,tahw,thaww,thhaw,thwa,tthaw

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

htaw2tahw2thaww1thhaw1thwa2tthaw1
Edit distance from "thaw"

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 "thaw"?
"thaw" is spelled T-H-A-W. The IPA pronunciation is /θɔː/.
What does "thaw" mean?
As a verb, "thaw" means: To gradually melt, dissolve, or become fluid; to soften from frozen.
What words are commonly confused with "thaw"?
"thaw" is commonly confused with "the", "tho", "thy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "thaw"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "thaw" is /θɔː/. 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 "thaw"?
From Middle English thowen, thawen, from Old English þawian, *þāwan (“to thaw”), from Proto-West Germanic *þauwjan, from Proto-Germanic *þawjaną (“to thaw”), from Proto-Indo-European *teh₂- (“to melt”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian daie, dauje (... 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.

Using “thaw”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is T-H-A-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /θɔː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “the” - see the side-by-side comparison. thaw vs the
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list