thoroughbred
adjective, noun
thoroughbred is spelled T-H-O-R-O-U-G-H-B-R-E-D: 12 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,649th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, thoroughbred means “Bred from pure stock” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in thoroughbred?
| Letters | 12: T-H-O-R-O-U-G-H-B-R-E-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 29,649th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is thoroughbred?
Thoroughbred appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,649th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce thoroughbred?
Thoroughbred has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-thoroughbred.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of thoroughbred
- more thoroughbred comparative
- most thoroughbred superlative
- thoroughbreds plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does thoroughbred mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Bred from pure stock.
- 2
Well-bred and properly educated.
noun
- 1
Alternative letter-case form of Thoroughbred (“horse bred for racing”).
- 2
Any purebred horse.
- 3
A person of uncommon strength or endurance (like that of a thoroughbred horse).
That athlete is a real thoroughbred.
- 4
A well-bred person.
noun
- 1
A horse of a breed derived from crosses between Arabian stallions and English mares, bred for racing, with its breeding history recorded in an official stud book.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Thoroughbred in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | vollblütig, reinrassig , Englisches Vollblut, Vollblut |
| Portuguese | puro sangue , puro-sangue inglês |
| Spanish | purasangre, de raza pura , caballo de raza pura |
| French | pur-sang |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does thoroughbred come from?
From thorough + bred.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).