Thomson

/ˈtɒm.sən/

//ˈtɒm.sən// name

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

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

The verdict

“Thomson” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,970. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,970
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A British surname transferred from the given name.

Corpus desk

Index EN-thomson · Thomson · English

Thomson · rank #9,970 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,970
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tensions

Nearest frequency peer: tensions (-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 “Thomson”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Thomson” 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).

Thomson vs Towson
71% similar
Thomson vs Thompson
88% similar

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

Key facts for Thomson
PropertyValue
HeadwordThomson
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈtɒm.sən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#9,970
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Thomson”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).Thomsonlands 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 “tensions” (#9,969), “tortured” (#9,971), “tenant” (#9,968). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “Thomson” is #9,970. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around Thomson (IPA /ˈtɒm.sən/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #9,970 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for Thomson, with forms such as "htomson", "thhomson", and "thmoson". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Towson", "Thompson", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Tom + -son, originally meaning "son of Thomas". In some instances of people so named, a calque of Scottish Gaelic MacTamhais (“MacTavish”). Also an anglicisation of the Gaelic name MacTamhais, meaning "son of Thomas". Many with the name MacTavish chang… The correct English form is Thomson, spelled T-H-O-M-S-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A British surname transferred from the given name.
  2. 2
    A British surname transferred from the given name.
  3. 3
    A place in the United States:
  4. 4
    A place in the United States:
  5. 5
    A place in the United States:
  6. 6
    A place in the United States:
  7. 7
    A neighbourhood of Singapore, named after Thomson Road, which was named after John Turnbull Thomson.
  8. 8
    A suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, named after Alexander Thomson (pioneer).
  9. 9
    A locality in the Shire of Baw Baw, south eastern Victoria, Australia.

Etymology

From Tom + -son, originally meaning "son of Thomas". In some instances of people so named, a calque of Scottish Gaelic MacTamhais (“MacTavish”). Also an anglicisation of the Gaelic name MacTamhais, meaning "son of Thomas". Many with the name MacTavish changed their name to Thomson and Thompson after Culloden. Being derived from Thomas ultimately gives this surname an Aramaic derivation - teoma 'twin'.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • htomson
  • thhomson
  • thmoson
  • thommson
  • thomosn
  • thomsno
  • thomsonn
  • thomsson
  • thosmon
  • tohmson
  • tthomson

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Thomson - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

htomson2thhomson1thmoson2thommson1thomosn2thomsno2thomsonn1thomsson1
Edit distance from "Thomson"

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 "Thomson"?
"Thomson" is spelled T-H-O-M-S-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɒm.sən/.
What does "Thomson" mean?
As a proper noun, "Thomson" means: A British surname transferred from the given name.
What words are commonly confused with "Thomson"?
"Thomson" is commonly confused with "Towson", "Thompson". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Thomson"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Thomson" is /ˈtɒm.sən/. 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 "Thomson"?
From Tom + -son, originally meaning "son of Thomas". In some instances of people so named, a calque of Scottish Gaelic MacTamhais (“MacTavish”). Also an anglicisation of the Gaelic name MacTamhais, meaning "son of Thomas". Many with the name MacTa... 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 "Thomson", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

sweater#9,967tractor#9,973specify#9,963variant#9,981

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

seventy11 variantswhiskey11 variantsWyoming11 variantsattribute11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list