thick

/θɪk/

//θɪk// adj

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

"thick" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“thick” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,265 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#3,265
frequency rank, English
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Relatively great in extent from one surface to the opposite in its smallest solid dimension.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

thick vs tic
60% similar
thick vs tik
60% similar
thick vs this
60% similar

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

Key facts for thick
PropertyValue
Headwordthick
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/θɪk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#3,265
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “thick” 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). thick 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 thick is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /θɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,265 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 15 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for thick, with forms such as "htick", "thcik", and "thhick". 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, "tic", "tik", "this", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English thikke, from Old English þicce (“thick, dense”), from Proto-West Germanic *þikkwī, from Proto-Germanic *þekuz (“thick”), from Proto-Indo-European *tégus (“thick”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian sjok, tjok, tjuk, tschok (“thick”), S… The correct English form is thick, spelled T-H-I-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Relatively great in extent from one surface to the opposite in its smallest solid dimension.
  2. 2
    Measuring a certain number of units in this dimension.
  3. 3
    Heavy in build; thickset.
  4. 4
    Densely crowded or packed.
  5. 5
    Having a viscous consistency.
  6. 6
    Abounding in number.
  7. 7
    Impenetrable to sight.
  8. 8
    Prominent, strong.
  9. 9
    Prominent, strong.
  10. 10
    Stupid.
  11. 11
    Friendly or intimate.
  12. 12
    Deep, intense, or profound.
  13. 13
    Detailed and expansive; substantive.
  14. 14
    Troublesome; unreasonable.
  15. 15
    Curvy and voluptuous, and especially having large hips.

Etymology

From Middle English thikke, from Old English þicce (“thick, dense”), from Proto-West Germanic *þikkwī, from Proto-Germanic *þekuz (“thick”), from Proto-Indo-European *tégus (“thick”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian sjok, tjok, tjuk, tschok (“thick”), Saterland Frisian tjuk (“thick”), West Frisian dik, tuuk (“thick”), Central Franconian deck (“thick”), Cimbrian dikh, dikhe (“thick”), Dutch dik (“thick”), German dick (“thick”), Luxembourgish déck (“thick”), Yiddish דיק (dik, “thick”), Danish tyk (“thick”), Elfdalian tiokk (“thick”), Faroese tjúkkur (“thick”), Icelandic þykkur (“thick”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk tjukk, tykk (“thick”), Scanian tjykker (“thick”), Swedish tjock (“thick”); also Cornish and Welsh tew (“thick”), Irish tiubh, tiugh (“thick”), Manx çhiu (“thick”), Scottish Gaelic tiugh (“thick”).

This word in other languages

grueso(Español)épais(Français)dick(Deutsch)grosso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: htick,thcik,thhick,thicck,thickk,thikc,tihck,tthick

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of thick - 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.

htick2thcik2thhick1thicck1thickk1thikc2tihck2tthick1
Edit distance from "thick"

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 "thick"?
"thick" is spelled T-H-I-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /θɪk/.
What does "thick" mean?
As an adjective, "thick" means: Relatively great in extent from one surface to the opposite in its smallest solid dimension.
What words are commonly confused with "thick"?
"thick" is commonly confused with "tic", "tik", "this". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "thick"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "thick" is /θɪk/. 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 "thick"?
From Middle English thikke, from Old English þicce (“thick, dense”), from Proto-West Germanic *þikkwī, from Proto-Germanic *þekuz (“thick”), from Proto-Indo-European *tégus (“thick”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian sjok, tjok, tjuk, tschok (“... 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 “thick”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is T-H-I-C-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /θɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “tic” - see the side-by-side comparison. thick vs tic
  • 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