thingamajig

/ˈθɪŋəməˌd͡ʒɪɡ/

//ˈθɪŋəməˌd͡ʒɪɡ// noun

"thingamajig" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Something that one does not know the name of.

Corpus desk

Index EN-thingamajig · thingamajig · English

thingamajig · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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 thingamajig
PropertyValue
Headwordthingamajig
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈθɪŋəməˌd͡ʒɪɡ/
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “thingamajig” in English

thingamajigsits 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

thingamajig is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈθɪŋəməˌd͡ʒɪɡ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Something that one does not know the name of.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for thingamajig in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From thingum or thingummy + jig, metrically patterned like gobbledygook, rigamarole. Compare thingamabob, etc. Earliest citation from 1824 as thingumajigs. The correct English form is thingamajig, spelled T-H-I-N-G-A-M-A-J-I-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Something that one does not know the name of.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He used this, this... this thingamajig you saw him with the other day to fix the problem.
  2. "– – Engeneerin' is a cinch – All y' gotta do is shove one thingamajigg an' pull 'nother – –"

Etymology

From thingum or thingummy + jig, metrically patterned like gobbledygook, rigamarole. Compare thingamabob, etc. Earliest citation from 1824 as thingumajigs.

Synonyms

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 "thingamajig"?
"thingamajig" is spelled T-H-I-N-G-A-M-A-J-I-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈθɪŋəməˌd͡ʒɪɡ/.
What does "thingamajig" mean?
As a noun, "thingamajig" means: Something that one does not know the name of.
How do you pronounce "thingamajig"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "thingamajig" is /ˈθɪŋəməˌd͡ʒɪɡ/. 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 "thingamajig"?
From thingum or thingummy + jig, metrically patterned like gobbledygook, rigamarole. Compare thingamabob, etc. Earliest citation from 1824 as thingumajigs. 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