theism

/ˈθiː.ɪz.əm/

//ˈθiː.ɪz.əm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“theism” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #47,959. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#47,959
frequency rank, English
27,828
“T” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Belief in the existence of at least one deity.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

theism vs this
67% similar
theism vs them
67% similar
theism vs these
67% similar

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

Key facts for theism
PropertyValue
Headwordtheism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈθiː.ɪz.əm/
Letters6
Frequency rank#47,959
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “theism” 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). theism lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around theism (IPA /ˈθiː.ɪz.əm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #47,959 among 27,828 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for theism, with forms such as "hteism", "tehism", and "theims". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "this", "them", "these", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Coined, theo- + -ism. ultimately from Ancient Greek θεός (theós, “god”). Attested in English from 1678, theist being attested 16 years earlier in 1662. Cognate French théisme, as in Diderot Principes de la philosophie morale (1745), which was probably borro… The correct English form is theism, spelled T-H-E-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Belief in the existence of at least one deity.
  2. 2
    Belief in the existence of a personal creator god, goddess, gods and/or goddesses present and active in the governance and organization of the world and the universe. The God may be known by or through revelation.

Etymology

Coined, theo- + -ism. ultimately from Ancient Greek θεός (theós, “god”). Attested in English from 1678, theist being attested 16 years earlier in 1662. Cognate French théisme, as in Diderot Principes de la philosophie morale (1745), which was probably borrowed from English.

This word in other languages

teísmo(Español)théisme(Français)Theismus(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hteism
  • tehism
  • theims
  • theismm
  • theissm
  • thesim
  • thheism
  • thiesm
  • ttheism

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of theism - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

hteism2tehism2theims2theismm1theissm1thesim2thheism1thiesm2
Edit distance from "theism"

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 "theism"?
"theism" is spelled T-H-E-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈθiː.ɪz.əm/.
What does "theism" mean?
As a noun, "theism" means: Belief in the existence of at least one deity.
What words are commonly confused with "theism"?
"theism" is commonly confused with "this", "them", "these". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "theism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "theism" is /ˈθiː.ɪz.əm/. 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 "theism"?
Coined, theo- + -ism. ultimately from Ancient Greek θεός (theós, “god”). Attested in English from 1678, theist being attested 16 years earlier in 1662. Cognate French théisme, as in Diderot Principes de la philosophie morale (1745), which was prob... 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 “theism”

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

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

Same frequency band

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