thoughtful

/ˈθɔːtfl̩/

//ˈθɔːtfl̩// adj

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

"thoughtful" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“thoughtful” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,265. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,265
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Demonstrating thought or careful consideration.

Corpus desk

Index EN-thoughtful · thoughtful · English

thoughtful · rank #9,265 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,265
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH thieves

Nearest frequency peer: thieves (-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 “thoughtful”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “thoughtful” 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).

thoughtful vs thoughtfully
83% similar

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

Key facts for thoughtful
PropertyValue
Headwordthoughtful
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈθɔːtfl̩/
Letters10
Frequency rank#9,265
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “thoughtful”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).thoughtfullands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “thieves” (#9,264), “thru” (#9,266), “superstar” (#9,262). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “thoughtful” is #9,265. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around thoughtful (IPA /ˈθɔːtfl̩/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #9,265 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for thoughtful, with forms such as "htoughtful", "thhoughtful", and "thoguhtful". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "thoughtfully", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English thoȝtful, thohtful, equivalent to thought + -ful. Compare Dutch gedachtenvol, Swedish tankfull. The correct English form is thoughtful, spelled T-H-O-U-G-H-T-F-U-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Demonstrating thought or careful consideration.
  2. 2
    Demonstrating kindness or consideration for others.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Most thoughtful people eventually solve the puzzle.
  2. Now the New Year reviving old Desires, The thoughtful Soul to Solitude retires, Where the White Hand of Moses on the Bough Puts out, and Jesus from the Ground suspires.

Etymology

From Middle English thoȝtful, thohtful, equivalent to thought + -ful. Compare Dutch gedachtenvol, Swedish tankfull.

Synonyms

attentivecarefulcaringcogitativecontemplativeconsiderateintrospectiveobservativepensivethoughty

Antonyms

thoughtless

This word in other languages

detallista(Español)réfléchi(Français)nachdenklich(Deutsch)atencioso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • htoughtful
  • thhoughtful
  • thoguhtful
  • thougghtful
  • thoughftul
  • thoughhtful
  • thoughtfful
  • thoughtflu
  • thoughtfull
  • thoughttful
  • thoughtufl
  • thougthful
  • thouhgtful
  • thuoghtful
  • tohughtful
  • tthoughtful

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

htoughtful2thhoughtful1thoguhtful2thougghtful1thoughftul2thoughhtful1thoughtfful1thoughtflu2
Edit distance from "thoughtful"

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 "thoughtful"?
"thoughtful" is spelled T-H-O-U-G-H-T-F-U-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈθɔːtfl̩/.
What does "thoughtful" mean?
As an adjective, "thoughtful" means: Demonstrating thought or careful consideration.
What words are commonly confused with "thoughtful"?
"thoughtful" is commonly confused with "thoughtfully". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "thoughtful"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "thoughtful" is /ˈθɔːtfl̩/. 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 "thoughtful"?
From Middle English thoȝtful, thohtful, equivalent to thought + -ful. Compare Dutch gedachtenvol, Swedish tankfull. 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 "thoughtful", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

accidental#9,277archbishop#9,282reinforced#9,244refreshing#9,242

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

strengths16 variantsassassination16 variantscompression16 variantsnationalism16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list