thrill

/θɹɪl/

//θɹɪl// verb

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

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

The verdict

“thrill” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,947. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,947
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To suddenly excite someone, or to give someone great pleasure; to (figuratively) electrify; to experience such a sensation.

Corpus desk

Index EN-thrill · thrill · English

thrill · rank #10,947 · 8 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,947
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH temptation

Nearest frequency peer: temptation (-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 “thrill”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “thrill” 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).

thrill vs till
67% similar
thrill vs trial
67% similar
thrill vs troll
67% similar

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

Key facts for thrill
PropertyValue
Headwordthrill
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/θɹɪl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#10,947
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “thrill”

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).thrilllands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “temptation” (#10,946), “tile” (#10,948), “tate” (#10,945). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “thrill” is #10,947. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around thrill (IPA /θɹɪl/), averb. Corpus frequency is #10,947 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for thrill, with forms such as "htrill", "thhrill", and "thirll". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "till", "trial", "troll", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old English þȳrlian (“to pierce”), derived from þȳrel (“hole”) (archaic English thirl). Doublet of thirl (verb). The correct English form is thrill, spelled T-H-R-I-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    To suddenly excite someone, or to give someone great pleasure; to (figuratively) electrify; to experience such a sensation.
  2. 2
    To (cause something to) tremble or quiver.
  3. 3
    To perforate by a pointed instrument; to bore; to transfix; to drill.
  4. 4
    To hurl; to throw; to cast.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The cruel word her tender heart so thrilled, / That sudden cold did run through every vein.
  2. 1854, Matthew Arnold, Preface to Poems vivid and picturesque turns of expression […] which thrill the reader with a sudden delight

Etymology

From Old English þȳrlian (“to pierce”), derived from þȳrel (“hole”) (archaic English thirl). Doublet of thirl (verb).

Synonyms

animateawakenelectrifyenflameenkindleenthrillexagitateexciteexhilarateexsuscitatefillipfirefire the bloodgalvanizegin upigniteinflameintoxicatekindlequickenrousesendset fire toset on firesharpenstir the bloodsuscitatethrillvitalisewakewarm the bloodwhetwind upwork upyerk

Antonyms

allayassuagecalm downcoolcurbextinctextinguishquellsoothetemperate

This word in other languages

emocionar(Español)exciter(Français)erregen(Deutsch)emocionar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • htrill
  • thhrill
  • thirll
  • thril
  • thrlil
  • thrrill
  • trhill
  • tthrill

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of thrill - 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.

htrill2thhrill1thirll2thril1thrlil2thrrill1trhill2tthrill1
Edit distance from "thrill"

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 "thrill"?
"thrill" is spelled T-H-R-I-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /θɹɪl/.
What does "thrill" mean?
As a verb, "thrill" means: To suddenly excite someone, or to give someone great pleasure; to (figuratively) electrify; to experience such a sensation.
What words are commonly confused with "thrill"?
"thrill" is commonly confused with "till", "trial", "troll". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "thrill"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "thrill" is /θɹɪl/. 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 "thrill"?
From Old English þȳrlian (“to pierce”), derived from þȳrel (“hole”) (archaic English thirl). Doublet of thirl (verb). 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 "thrill", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

strive#10,942Stefan#10,939steals#10,937slogan#10,934

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Vanessa8 variantsprops8 variantsboiler8 variantsBrock8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list