thingummy

/ˈθɪŋəmi/

//ˈθɪŋəmi// noun

"thingummy" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Synonym of thingy: something one cannot remember the name of, or is unable to or does not care to specify precisely.

Corpus desk

Index EN-thingummy · thingummy · English

thingummy · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 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 thingummy
PropertyValue
Headwordthingummy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈθɪŋəmi/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “thingummy” in English

thingummysits 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

thingummy is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈθɪŋəmi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

thingummy has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From thingum + -y. Compare thingamabob and thingamajig. The correct English form is thingummy, spelled T-H-I-N-G-U-M-M-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Synonym of thingy: something one cannot remember the name of, or is unable to or does not care to specify precisely.
  2. 2
    Synonym of whatshisname: someone one cannot remember the name of.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Once, in his first term, Cartwright had been bold enough to ask him why he was so clever, […] ‘It’s memory, Cartwright, old dear. Memory, the mother of the Muses . . . at least that’s what thingummy said.’ ‘Who?’ ‘You know, what’s his name, Greek poet chap. Wrote the Theogony . . . what was he called? Begins with an “H”.’ ‘Homer?’ ‘No, dear. Not Homer, th…

Etymology

From thingum + -y. Compare thingamabob and thingamajig.

Synonyms

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 "thingummy"?
"thingummy" is spelled T-H-I-N-G-U-M-M-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈθɪŋəmi/.
What does "thingummy" mean?
As a noun, "thingummy" means: Synonym of thingy: something one cannot remember the name of, or is unable to or does not care to specify precisely.
How do you pronounce "thingummy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "thingummy" is /ˈθɪŋəmi/. 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 "thingummy"?
From thingum + -y. Compare thingamabob and thingamajig. 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