thoughtful
thought·ful/ˈθɔːtfəl/adjective
thoughtful is spelled T-H-O-U-G-H-T-F-U-L: 10 letters and 2 syllables (thought·ful). It appears 6.8 times per million words in written English, the 9,165th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, thoughtful means “Demonstrating thought or careful consideration” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in thoughtful?
| Letters | 10: T-H-O-U-G-H-T-F-U-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: thought·ful |
| In writing | 6.8 times per million words; the 9,165th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is thoughtful?
Thoughtful appears 6.8 times per million words in written English, the 9,165th 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 thoughtful?
- UK /ˈθɔːtfəl/
- UK [ˈθɔ̝ːtfl̩] ~ [ˈθo̞ːtfl̩]
- British /ˈθoːtfəl/
Thoughtful has 2 syllables, split thought·ful in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-thoughtful.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of thoughtful
- more thoughtful comparative
- most thoughtful superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does thoughtful mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Demonstrating thought or careful consideration.
Most thoughtful people eventually solve the puzzle.
- 2
Demonstrating kindness or consideration for others.
Preparing dinner is a thoughtful gesture for a new mother.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Thoughtful in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | réfléchi , attentionné, attentif |
| German | nachdenklich, bedächtig, gedankenvoll , aufmerksam |
| Portuguese | bem pensado, meticuloso , atencioso |
| Spanish | detallista |
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 thoughtful come from?
From Middle English thoȝtful, thohtful, equivalent to thought + -ful. Compare Dutch gedachtenvol, Swedish tankfull.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).