threw
/θɹuː/
"threw" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“threw” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,266. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #3,266
- frequency rank, English
- 3,151
- “T” headwords
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - simple past of throw
Corpus desk
Index EN-threw · threw · English
threw · rank #3,266 · 8 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-COMMON #3,266
- LEN-MID 5 letters
- VOW-1 1 vowel
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-MID 8 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,151
- PHOTO-FINISH thick
Nearest frequency peer: thick (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “threw”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- superior
superior
96,738 corpus weight
- thick
thick
96,736 corpus weight
- threw
threw
96,735 corpus weight
- tons
tons
96,734 corpus weight
- transition
transition
96,733 corpus weight
- violent
violent
96,732 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “threw” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | threw |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /θɹuː/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #3,266 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “threw” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 8 spelling variants around threw (IPA /θɹuː/), averb. Corpus frequency is #3,266 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for threw, with forms such as "htrew", "therw", and "thhrew". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "tre", "tree", "tire", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English threw, from Old English þrēaw (first and third person past tense of þrāwan), from West Germanic *þreu, from Northwest Germanic *þrerō, from Proto-Germanic *þeþrō (first and third person past tense of *þrēaną), reduplication of *þrēaną. The correct English form is threw, spelled T-H-R-E-W.
Definition
- 1simple past of throw
- 2past participle of throw
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how threw appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
"But I'd have threw lead at him if I'd been scared enough. I wasn't scared enough."
I may have threw it away then, or I may have threw it away after I got the passport and didn't need the various other stuff any long.
Etymology
From Middle English threw, from Old English þrēaw (first and third person past tense of þrāwan), from West Germanic *þreu, from Northwest Germanic *þrerō, from Proto-Germanic *þeþrō (first and third person past tense of *þrēaną), reduplication of *þrēaną.
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- htrew
- therw
- thhrew
- threww
- thrrew
- thrwe
- trhew
- tthrew
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of threw - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "threw"?
What does "threw" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "threw"?
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "threw", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).
What to do next
You've looked up "threw". Here's where to go from here.
- "threw" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "tre". View pair
- 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
- Usage frequency rank #3,266 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more English words in the "T" letter cohort. T–Z browse
- PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
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.