thorn

/θɔːn/

//θɔːn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“thorn” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,531. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,531
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A modified branch that is hard and sharp like a spike.

Corpus desk

Index EN-thorn · thorn · English

thorn · rank #15,531 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,531
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH thug

Nearest frequency peer: thug (+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 “thorn”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “thorn” 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).

thorn vs ton
60% similar
thorn vs tor
60% similar
thorn vs turn
60% similar

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

Key facts for thorn
PropertyValue
Headwordthorn
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/θɔːn/
Letters5
Frequency rank#15,531
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “thorn”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).thornlands 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 “thug” (#15,532), “tit” (#15,533), “terrestrial” (#15,528). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “thorn” is #15,531. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around thorn (IPA /θɔːn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,531 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for thorn, with forms such as "htorn", "thhorn", and "thonr". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ton", "tor", "turn", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English thorn, þorn, from Old English þorn, from Proto-West Germanic *þorn, from Proto-Germanic *þurnaz, from Proto-Indo-European *tr̥nós, from *(s)ter- (“stiff”). Cognates Near cognates include West Frisian toarn, Low German Doorn, Dutch doorn,… The correct English form is thorn, spelled T-H-O-R-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A modified branch that is hard and sharp like a spike.
  2. 2
    Any thorn-like structure on plants, such as the spine and the prickle.
  3. 3
    Any shrub or small tree that bears thorns, especially a hawthorn.
  4. 4
    That which pricks or annoys; anything troublesome.
  5. 5
    A letter of Latin script (capital: Þ, small: þ), borrowed from the futhark; today used only in Icelandic to represent the voiceless dental fricative, but originally used in several early Germanic scripts, including Old English where it represented the dental fricatives that are today written th (Old English did not have phonemic voicing distinctions for fricatives).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. On the mountains a few junipers and piñons are found, and cactuses, agave, and yuccas, low, fleshy plants with bayonets and thorns.
  2. the white thorn

Etymology

From Middle English thorn, þorn, from Old English þorn, from Proto-West Germanic *þorn, from Proto-Germanic *þurnaz, from Proto-Indo-European *tr̥nós, from *(s)ter- (“stiff”). Cognates Near cognates include West Frisian toarn, Low German Doorn, Dutch doorn, German Dorn, Danish and Norwegian torn, Swedish torn, törne, Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽𐌿𐍃 (þaurnus). Further cognates include Old Church Slavonic трънъ (trŭnŭ, “thorn”), Russian тёрн (tjorn), Polish cierń, Kamkata-viri taňi, tai (“thorn”), Sanskrit तृण (tṛ́ṇa, “grass”).

This word in other languages

espina(Español)épine(Français)Dorn(Deutsch)espinho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • htorn
  • thhorn
  • thonr
  • thornn
  • thorrn
  • thron
  • tohrn
  • tthorn

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of thorn - 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.

htorn2thhorn1thonr2thornn1thorrn1thron2tohrn2tthorn1
Edit distance from "thorn"

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 "thorn"?
"thorn" is spelled T-H-O-R-N. The IPA pronunciation is /θɔːn/.
What does "thorn" mean?
As a noun, "thorn" means: A modified branch that is hard and sharp like a spike.
What words are commonly confused with "thorn"?
"thorn" is commonly confused with "ton", "tor", "turn". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "thorn"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "thorn" is /θɔːn/. 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 "thorn"?
From Middle English thorn, þorn, from Old English þorn, from Proto-West Germanic *þorn, from Proto-Germanic *þurnaz, from Proto-Indo-European *tr̥nós, from *(s)ter- (“stiff”). Cognates Near cognates include West Frisian toarn, Low German Doorn, Du... 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 "thorn", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

toned#15,534Tulsa#15,537Sunni#15,524squat#15,515

Similar misspelling depth

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

Strauss8 variantswharf8 variantssheds8 variantsAddison8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list