think

/ˈθɪŋk/

//ˈθɪŋk// verb

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

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

The verdict

“think” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #89. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#89
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To ponder, to go over in one's mind.

Corpus desk

Index EN-think · think · English

think · rank #89 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #89
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH over

Nearest frequency peer: over (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “think”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “think” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

think vs tin
60% similar
think vs tik
60% similar
think vs this
60% similar

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

Key facts for think
PropertyValue
Headwordthink
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈθɪŋk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#89
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “think” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).thinklands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “over” (#88), “any” (#90), “make” (#87). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around think (IPA /ˈθɪŋk/), averb. Corpus frequency is #89 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for think, with forms such as "htink", "thhink", and "thikn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "tin", "tik", "this", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English thinken, thynken, thenken, thenchen, from Old English þenċan, from Proto-West Germanic *þankijan, from Proto-Germanic *þankijaną (“to think”), from Proto-Indo-European *teng- (“to think, feel, know”). Cognate with Scots think, thynk (“to… The correct English form is think, spelled T-H-I-N-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    To ponder, to go over in one's mind.
  2. 2
    To have (some statement) in one's mind; to say to oneself mentally.
  3. 3
    To communicate to oneself in one's mind, to try to find a solution to a problem.
  4. 4
    To conceive of something or someone
  5. 5
    To be of opinion (that); to consider, judge, regard, or look upon (something) as.
  6. 6
    To guess; to reckon; to believe while admittedly being uncertain.
  7. 7
    To plan; to be considering; to be of a mind (to do something).
  8. 8
    To presume; to venture.
  9. 9
    Ellipsis of think so.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Idly, the detective thought what his next move should be.
  2. Had we but world enough and time / This coyness, lady, were no crime. / We would sit down, and think which way / To walk, and pass our long love's day.

Etymology

From Middle English thinken, thynken, thenken, thenchen, from Old English þenċan, from Proto-West Germanic *þankijan, from Proto-Germanic *þankijaną (“to think”), from Proto-Indo-European *teng- (“to think, feel, know”). Cognate with Scots think, thynk (“to think”), North Frisian teenk, taanke, tanke, tånke (“to think”), Saterland Frisian toanke (“to think”), West Frisian tinke (“to think”), Dutch denken, dinken (“to think”), Afrikaans dink (“to think”), Low German denken, dinken (“to think”), German denken (“to think”), Danish tænke (“to think”), Swedish tänka (“to think”), Norwegian Bokmål tenke (“to think”), Norwegian Nynorsk tenkja (“to think”), Icelandic þekkja (“to know, recognise, identify, perceive”), Latin tongeō (“know”).

Synonyms

ponderhave opinionguess See Thesaurus:supposedeemthink

This word in other languages

pensar(Español)ruminer(Français)nachdenken(Deutsch)pensar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • htink
  • thhink
  • thikn
  • thinkk
  • thinnk
  • thnik
  • tihnk
  • tthink

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of think - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

htink2thhink1thikn2thinkk1thinnk1thnik2tihnk2tthink1
Edit distance from "think"

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 "think"?
"think" is spelled T-H-I-N-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈθɪŋk/.
What does "think" mean?
As a verb, "think" means: To ponder, to go over in one's mind.
What words are commonly confused with "think"?
"think" is commonly confused with "tin", "tik", "this". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "think"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "think" is /ˈθɪŋk/. 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 "think"?
From Middle English thinken, thynken, thenken, thenchen, from Old English þenċan, from Proto-West Germanic *þankijan, from Proto-Germanic *þankijaną (“to think”), from Proto-Indo-European *teng- (“to think, feel, know”). Cognate with Scots think, ... 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 "think", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

could#92these#94first#81after#80

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

people8 variantsright8 variantswhich8 variantsbefore8 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "think". Here's where to go from here.

  • "think" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "tin". View pair
  • 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #89 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "T" letter cohort. T–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list