thief

/θiːf/

//θiːf// noun

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

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

The verdict

“thief” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,618. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,618
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who carries out a theft.

Corpus desk

Index EN-thief · thief · English

thief · rank #8,618 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,618
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH terrace

Nearest frequency peer: terrace (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “thief”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “thief” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

thief vs tie
60% similar
thief vs this
60% similar
thief vs thin
60% similar

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

Key facts for thief
PropertyValue
Headwordthief
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/θiːf/
Letters5
Frequency rank#8,618
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “thief”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).thieflands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “terrace” (#8,617), “transported” (#8,619), “tribunal” (#8,620). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “thief” is #8,618. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around thief (IPA /θiːf/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,618 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for thief, with forms such as "htief", "theif", and "thhief". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "tie", "this", "thin", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English thef, theef, þef, from Old English þēof, from Proto-West Germanic *þeub, from Proto-Germanic *þeubaz. The correct English form is thief, spelled T-H-I-E-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who carries out a theft.
  2. 2
    One who steals another person's property, especially by stealth and without using force or violence.
  3. 3
    A waster in the snuff of a candle.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. water-thieves and land-thieves
  2. Take heed to false harlots, and more, ye wot what. / If noise ye heare, / Looke all be cleare: / Least drabs doe noie thee, / And theeues destroie thee.

Etymology

From Middle English thef, theef, þef, from Old English þēof, from Proto-West Germanic *þeub, from Proto-Germanic *þeubaz.

Synonyms

abstractorappropriatorbaggerboosterborrowercribberfakerfilcherfloggerheisterlarcenerlarcenistliberatorliftermisappropriatornickerpincherpurloinersnitchstealertea leafthiefthiever

This word in other languages

ladrón(Español)voleur(Français)Dieb(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • htief
  • theif
  • thhief
  • thieff
  • thife
  • tihef
  • tthief

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of thief - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

htief2theif2thhief1thieff1thife2tihef2tthief1
Edit distance from "thief"

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 "thief"?
"thief" is spelled T-H-I-E-F. The IPA pronunciation is /θiːf/.
What does "thief" mean?
As a noun, "thief" means: One who carries out a theft.
What words are commonly confused with "thief"?
"thief" is commonly confused with "tie", "this", "thin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "thief"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "thief" is /θiːf/. 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 "thief"?
From Middle English thef, theef, þef, from Old English þēof, from Proto-West Germanic *þeub, from Proto-Germanic *þeubaz. 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 "thief", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

teddy#8,615spoon#8,611whats#8,625shiny#8,607

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Yemen7 variantsrobbed7 variantsBoris7 variantsburke7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list