thrift

/θɹɪft/

//θɹɪft// noun

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

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

The verdict

“thrift” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,260. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,260
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The characteristic of using a minimum of something (especially money).

Corpus desk

Index EN-thrift · thrift · English

thrift · rank #17,260 · 10 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,260
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tenor

Nearest frequency peer: tenor (-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 “thrift”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “thrift” 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).

thrift vs throat
67% similar
thrift vs thrust
67% similar
thrift vs thrive
67% similar

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

Key facts for thrift
PropertyValue
Headwordthrift
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/θɹɪft/
Letters6
Frequency rank#17,260
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “thrift”

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).thriftlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “tenor” (#17,259), “tattooed” (#17,258), “traverse” (#17,263). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “thrift” is #17,260. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around thrift (IPA /θɹɪft/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,260 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for thrift, with forms such as "htrift", "thhrift", and "thirft". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "throat", "thrust", "thrive", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English thrift, thryfte, þrift, from Old Norse þrift (“thriving condition, prosperity”). Equivalent to thrive + -t. The correct English form is thrift, spelled T-H-R-I-F-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The characteristic of using a minimum of something (especially money).
  2. 2
    A savings bank.
  3. 3
    Any of various plants of the genus Armeria, particularly Armeria maritima.
  4. 4
    Success and advance in the acquisition of property; increase of worldly goods; gain; prosperity; profit.
  5. 5
    Vigorous growth, as of a plant.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. His thrift can be seen in how little the trashman takes from his house.
  2. The rest, […] willing to fall to thrift , as I have seene many souldiers after the service to prove very good husbands

Etymology

From Middle English thrift, thryfte, þrift, from Old Norse þrift (“thriving condition, prosperity”). Equivalent to thrive + -t.

Synonyms

frugality

Antonyms

spendthrift

This word in other languages

parsimonia(Español)parcimonie(Français)Sparsamkeit(Deutsch)frugalidade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • htrift
  • thhrift
  • thirft
  • thrfit
  • thrifft
  • thriftt
  • thritf
  • thrrift
  • trhift
  • tthrift

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of thrift - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

htrift2thhrift1thirft2thrfit2thrifft1thriftt1thritf2thrrift1
Edit distance from "thrift"

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 "thrift"?
"thrift" is spelled T-H-R-I-F-T. The IPA pronunciation is /θɹɪft/.
What does "thrift" mean?
As a noun, "thrift" means: The characteristic of using a minimum of something (especially money).
What words are commonly confused with "thrift"?
"thrift" is commonly confused with "throat", "thrust", "thrive". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "thrift"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "thrift" is /θɹɪft/. 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 "thrift"?
From Middle English thrift, thryfte, þrift, from Old Norse þrift (“thriving condition, prosperity”). Equivalent to thrive + -t. 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 "thrift", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

uterus#17,265strife#17,254smiley#17,247womens#17,275

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

Zionist10 variantsrampage10 variantsbeauties10 variantsbruised10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list