them
/ˈðɛm/
"them" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“them” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #71. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #71
- frequency rank, English
- 27,828
- “T” headwords
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Those ones.
Corpus desk
Index EN-them · them · English
them · rank #71 · 6 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-CORE #71
- LEN-MID 4 letters
- VOW-1 1 vowel
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-MID 6 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 27,828
- PHOTO-FINISH also
Nearest frequency peer: also (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “them”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- don't
don't
99,933 corpus weight
- some
some
99,932 corpus weight
- also
also
99,931 corpus weight
- them
them
99,930 corpus weight
- now
now
99,929 corpus weight
- other
other
99,928 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “them” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | them |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Pronoun |
| IPA | /ˈðɛm/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #71 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “them” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 6 spelling variants around them (IPA /ˈðɛm/), apronoun. Corpus frequency is #71 among 27,828 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for them, with forms such as "htem", "tehm", and "themm". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "TM", "tom", "tie", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Old Norse þeimbor. Middle English þem English them From Middle English þem, from Old Norse þeim. The correct English form is them, spelled T-H-E-M.
Definition
- 1Those ones.
- 2Those ones.
- 3Those ones.
- 4Those ones.
- 5Those ones.
- 6A single person, previously mentioned, whose gender is unknown, irrelevant, or (since 21st c.) non-binary.
- 7A single person, previously mentioned, whose gender is unknown, irrelevant, or (since 21st c.) non-binary.
- 8A single person, previously mentioned, whose gender is unknown, irrelevant, or (since 21st c.) non-binary.
- 9A single person, previously mentioned, whose gender is unknown, irrelevant, or (since 21st c.) non-binary.
- 10A single person, previously mentioned, whose gender is unknown, irrelevant, or (since 21st c.) non-binary.
- 11They or those.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how them appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
She treated them for a cold.
Proponents of adding a gender-neutral option to state identification documents say it would remove a form of discrimination against nonbinary people by providing them with the means to carry identification that matches their identity.
Etymology
Etymology tree Old Norse þeimbor. Middle English þem English them From Middle English þem, from Old Norse þeim.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- htem
- tehm
- themm
- thhem
- thme
- tthem
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of them - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "them"?
What does "them" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "them"?
How do you pronounce "them"?
What is the origin of the word "them"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "them", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).
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.