thrall
/θɹɔːl/noun, verb
thrall is spelled T-H-R-A-L-L: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,998th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, thrall means “Slave; one under the control of another” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of thrall is thralls.
How many letters and syllables are in thrall?
| Letters | 6: T-H-R-A-L-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,998th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is thrall?
Thrall appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,998th 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 thrall?
- UK /θɹɔːl/
- British /θɹoːl/
- /θɹɔl/
Thrall has one syllable (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: En-au-thrall.ogg, En-us-thrall.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with thrall?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as thrall from its last stressed vowel (/ɔl/, British pronunciation):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of thrall
- thralls plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- more thrall comparative
- most thrall superlative
- thralling participle, present
- thralled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does thrall mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Slave; one under the control of another.
My father was always a thrall to alcohol.
- 2
The state of being under the control of another person.
Today's kids are in thrall to their phones.
- 3
A shelf; a stand for barrels, etc.
verb
- 1
To make a thrall; enslave.
adjective
- 1
archaicEnthralled; captive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Thrall in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | esclave, servant , emprise, servitude |
| German | Leibeigene , Leibeigenschaft |
| Portuguese | servo, escravo , jugo |
| Spanish | esclavo , esclavizado |
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 thrall come from?
From Middle English thral, thralle, threl, threlle, from Old English þrǣl (“thrall, slave, servant”), from Old Norse þræll (“slave”), from Proto-Germanic *þrahilaz, *þragilaz, *þrigilaz (“runner, gofer, servant”), from Proto-Indo-European *tregʰ- (“to pull, drag, race, run”), possibly a variant of *dʰregʰ- (“to run”); related to Gothic 𐌸𐍂𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (þragjan), Old English þrǣġan (“to run”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).