thickset

/ˈθɪkˌsɛt/

//ˈθɪkˌsɛt// adj

"thickset" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“thickset” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having a relatively short, heavy build.

Corpus desk

Index EN-thickset · thickset · English

thickset · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "T" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for thickset
PropertyValue
Headwordthickset
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈθɪkˌsɛt/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “thickset” in English

thicksetsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

thickset is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈθɪkˌsɛt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for thickset in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From thick + set. The correct English form is thickset, spelled T-H-I-C-K-S-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having a relatively short, heavy build.
  2. 2
    Densely crowded together; made up of things that are densely crowded together; closely planted.
  3. 3
    Densely covered (with something).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a thickset, muscular figure
  2. a thickset workhorse

Etymology

From thick + set.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "thickset"?
"thickset" is spelled T-H-I-C-K-S-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈθɪkˌsɛt/.
What does "thickset" mean?
As an adjective, "thickset" means: Having a relatively short, heavy build.
How do you pronounce "thickset"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "thickset" is /ˈθɪkˌsɛt/. 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 "thickset"?
From thick + set. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list