thresh

/θɹɛʃ/

//θɹɛʃ// verb

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

"thresh" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“thresh” is an uncommon English word, ranked #75,489 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#75,489
frequency rank, English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To separate the grain from the straw or husks (chaff) by mechanical beating, with a flail or machinery, or by driving animals over them.

Key facts for thresh
PropertyValue
Headwordthresh
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/θɹɛʃ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#75,489
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “thresh” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). thresh lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for thresh is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /θɹɛʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #75,489 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for thresh, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *terh₁-der.? Proto-Germanic *þreskaną Old English þrescan Middle English threschen English thresh From Middle English thresshen, threshen, threschen, from Old English þrescan, from Proto-Germanic *þreskaną. Compare West Fr… The correct English form is thresh, spelled T-H-R-E-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    To separate the grain from the straw or husks (chaff) by mechanical beating, with a flail or machinery, or by driving animals over them.
  2. 2
    To separate the grain from the straw or husks (chaff) by mechanical beating, with a flail or machinery, or by driving animals over them.
  3. 3
    To beat soundly, usually with some tool such as a stick or whip; to drub.
  4. 4
    To violently toss the limbs about.
  5. 5
    To belabor; to go over repeatedly, especially an argument.
  6. 6
    To drive through adverse conditions (wind, waves).

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *terh₁-der.? Proto-Germanic *þreskaną Old English þrescan Middle English threschen English thresh From Middle English thresshen, threshen, threschen, from Old English þrescan, from Proto-Germanic *þreskaną. Compare West Frisian terskje, Dutch dorsen, Low German dörschen, German dreschen, Danish tærske, Swedish tröska, Yiddish דרעשן (dreshn). Doublet of thrash.

Synonyms

thrash

This word in other languages

trillar(Español)battre(Français)dreschen(Deutsch)malhar(Português)

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 "thresh"?
"thresh" is spelled T-H-R-E-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /θɹɛʃ/.
What does "thresh" mean?
As a verb, "thresh" means: To separate the grain from the straw or husks (chaff) by mechanical beating, with a flail or machinery, or by driving animals over them.
How do you pronounce "thresh"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "thresh" is /θɹɛʃ/. 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 "thresh"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *terh₁-der.? Proto-Germanic *þreskaną Old English þrescan Middle English threschen English thresh From Middle English thresshen, threshen, threschen, from Old English þrescan, from Proto-Germanic *þreskaną. Compa... 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.

Using “thresh”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is T-H-R-E-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /θɹɛʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list