thing
Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.
Letters
5 characters
Language
English
word origin
Source
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Detailed reference entry for the English word "thing", 5-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "thing" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "thing" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.
thing is aEnglishnoun. It means: That which is considered to exist as a separate entity, object, quality or concept. Pronounced /ˈθɪŋ/. It ranks #184 in English word frequency. Often confused with tin and tig.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | thing |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈθɪŋ/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #184 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency rank visualization
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for thing is 5 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈθɪŋ/. Corpus data places it at rank #184 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language.Wiktionary records 23 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 8 documented wrong-spelling variants for thing, with forms such as "hting", "thhing", and "thign". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "tin", "tig", "this", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *tenk-? Proto-Indo-European *tenkóm Proto-Germanic *þingą Proto-West Germanic *þing Old English þing Middle English thing English thing From Middle English thing, from Old English þing, from Proto-West Germanic *þing, from… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is thing, spelled T-H-I-N-G, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Definition
- 1That which is considered to exist as a separate entity, object, quality or concept.
- 2A word, symbol, sign, or other referent that can be used to refer to any entity.
- 3An individual object or distinct entity.
- 4Whatever can be owned.
- 5Corporeal object.
- 6Possessions or equipment; stuff; gear.
- 7The latest fad or fashion.
- 8A custom or practice.
- 9A genuine concept, entity or phenomenon; something that actually exists (often contrary to expectation or belief).
- 10A unit or container, usually containing consumable goods.
- 11A problem, dilemma, or complicating factor.
- 12The central point; the crux.
- 13A penis.
- 14A vulva or vagina.
- 15A living being or creature.
- 16Used after a noun to refer dismissively to the situation surrounding the noun's referent.
- 17That which is favoured; personal preference.
- 18One's typical routine, habits, or manner.
- 19A public assembly or judicial council in a Germanic country.
- 20A romantic relationship.
- 21A romantic couple.
- 22Alternative form of ting.
- 23Girl; attractive woman.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *tenk-? Proto-Indo-European *tenkóm Proto-Germanic *þingą Proto-West Germanic *þing Old English þing Middle English thing English thing From Middle English thing, from Old English þing, from Proto-West Germanic *þing, from Proto-Germanic *þingą. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Ding (“thing”), West Frisian ting, ding (“thing”), Dutch ding (“thing”), German Low German Ding (“thing”), German Ding (“thing”), Swedish, Danish and Norwegian ting (“thing”), Faroese ting (“parliament, assembly”), Icelandic þing (“congress, assembly”). The word originally meant "assembly", then came to mean a specific issue discussed at such an assembly, and ultimately came to mean most broadly "an object". Compare Latin rēs, also meaning "legal matter", and same transition from Latin causa (“legal matter”) to "thing" in Romance languages. Modern use to refer to a Germanic assembly is likely influenced by cognates (from the same Proto-Germanic root) like Old Norse þing (“thing”), Danish ting, Swedish ting, and Old High German ding with this meaning.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: hting,thhing,thign,thingg,thinng,thnig,tihng,tthing
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
Relative frequency of common misspelling types for thing
Misspelling Variants of "thing"
Frequency rank: #184 in English
Frequently Asked Questions
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Nearby English words
Other entries that begin with the letter T in our English index: