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” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,265. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,265
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Relatively great in extent from one surface to the opposite in its smallest solid dimension.

Corpus desk

Index EN-thick · thick · English

thick · rank #3,265 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,265
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH threw

Nearest frequency peer: threw (+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 “thick”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “thick” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

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.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around thick (IPA /θɪk/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #3,265 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 15 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The thickest salmon, the curdiest trout, the fattest partridge, and the most tender woodcock smoked on his board, and, rumor said, cooked with a delicacy that more pretentious houses could not rival.
  2. The face which emerged was not reassuring. It was blunt and grey, the nose springing thick and flat from high on the frontal bone of the forehead, whilst his eyes were narrow slits of dark in a tight bandage of tissue.[…].

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.

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 September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

threw#3,266shock#3,260angel#3,277bonus#3,281

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

babies8 variantsEgypt8 variantsflash8 variantshorses8 variants
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