thirsty

/ˈθɝs.ti/

//ˈθɝs.ti// adj

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

"thirsty" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“thirsty” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,623. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,623
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Needing to drink water or any liquid that can supply water.

Corpus desk

Index EN-thirsty · thirsty · English

thirsty · rank #10,623 · 12 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,623
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH thereof

Nearest frequency peer: thereof (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “thirsty”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “thirsty” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

thirsty vs thirty
86% similar
thirsty vs twisty
71% similar
thirsty vs thirst
86% similar

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

Key facts for thirsty
PropertyValue
Headwordthirsty
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈθɝs.ti/
Letters7
Frequency rank#10,623
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “thirsty”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “thereof” (#10,622), “torch” (#10,624), “tempo” (#10,621). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “thirsty” is #10,623. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around thirsty (IPA /ˈθɝs.ti/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #10,623 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for thirsty, with forms such as "htirsty", "thhirsty", and "thirrsty". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "thirty", "twisty", "thirst", 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 thirsty, from Old English þurstiġ, from Proto-West Germanic *þurstug. Equivalent to thirst + -y. Cognate with Dutch dorstig, German durstig. The correct English form is thirsty, spelled T-H-I-R-S-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Needing to drink water or any liquid that can supply water.
  2. 2
    Craving alcohol; especially, experiencing some alcohol withdrawal.
  3. 3
    Causing thirst; giving one a need to drink.
  4. 4
    Craving something immaterial.
  5. 5
    Craving something immaterial.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. After all that work in the hot sun, I am really thirsty.
  2. Diggle Station lies high up in the Pennine Chain, subject to extreme low temperatures. With this and heavy snowfall in the winter months, Diggle bids fair to compete with the Scottish lines under similar weather conditions, and the provision of unfrozen water in the higher ambient temperature of the tunnel must be a boon to harassed engine drivers whose t…

Etymology

From Middle English thirsty, from Old English þurstiġ, from Proto-West Germanic *þurstug. Equivalent to thirst + -y. Cognate with Dutch dorstig, German durstig.

Synonyms

adryathirstdrouthydroughtydryparchedthirstfulthirstyunslaked

Antonyms

nonthirstyunthirstysatedsatiatedslaked

This word in other languages

sediento(Español)avoir soif(Français)durstig(Deutsch)sequioso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • htirsty
  • thhirsty
  • thirrsty
  • thirssty
  • thirstty
  • thirstyy
  • thirsyt
  • thirtsy
  • thisrty
  • thristy
  • tihrsty
  • tthirsty

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of thirsty - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

htirsty2thhirsty1thirrsty1thirssty1thirstty1thirstyy1thirsyt2thirtsy2
Edit distance from "thirsty"

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 "thirsty"?
"thirsty" is spelled T-H-I-R-S-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈθɝs.ti/.
What does "thirsty" mean?
As an adjective, "thirsty" means: Needing to drink water or any liquid that can supply water.
What words are commonly confused with "thirsty"?
"thirsty" is commonly confused with "thirty", "twisty", "thirst". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "thirsty"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "thirsty" is /ˈθɝs.ti/. 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 "thirsty"?
From Middle English thirsty, from Old English þurstiġ, from Proto-West Germanic *þurstug. Equivalent to thirst + -y. Cognate with Dutch dorstig, German durstig. 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 "thirsty", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

thereof#10,622upright#10,630whereby#10,636whisper#10,637

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

uprising12 variantssingular12 variantsaerospace12 variantsaluminium12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list