thiol

/ˈθaɪˌɒl/

//ˈθaɪˌɒl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“thiol” is uncommon English (frequency #84,829 among 27,828 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#84,829
frequency rank, English
27,828
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A univalent organic radical (-SH) containing a sulphur and a hydrogen atom; a compound containing such a radical.

Key facts for thiol
PropertyValue
Headwordthiol
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈθaɪˌɒl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#84,829
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “thiol” 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). thiol lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

thiol is uncommon English at frequency #84,829 among 27,828 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈθaɪˌɒl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A univalent organic radical (-SH) containing a sulphur and a hydrogen atom; a compound containing such a radical.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for thiol in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From thio- + -ol. The correct English form is thiol, spelled T-H-I-O-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A univalent organic radical (-SH) containing a sulphur and a hydrogen atom; a compound containing such a radical.

Etymology

From thio- + -ol.

Synonyms

mercaptan

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 "thiol"?
"thiol" is spelled T-H-I-O-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈθaɪˌɒl/.
What does "thiol" mean?
As a noun, "thiol" means: A univalent organic radical (-SH) containing a sulphur and a hydrogen atom; a compound containing such a radical.
How do you pronounce "thiol"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "thiol" is /ˈθaɪˌɒl/. 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 "thiol"?
From thio- + -ol. 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.

Using “thiol”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is T-H-I-O-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈθaɪˌɒl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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