throw

/θɹəʊ/

//θɹəʊ// verb

"throw" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“throw” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,581. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,581
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To hurl; to release (an object) with some force from one’s hands, an apparatus, etc. so that it moves rapidly through the air.

Corpus desk

Index EN-throw · throw · English

throw · rank #1,581 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,581
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH surface

Nearest frequency peer: surface (-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 “throw”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “throw” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

throw vs tow
60% similar
throw vs Troy
40% similar
throw vs thru
60% similar

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

Key facts for throw
PropertyValue
Headwordthrow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/θɹəʊ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,581
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “throw” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).throwlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “surface” (#1,580), “tom” (#1,582), “totally” (#1,583). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around throw (IPA /θɹəʊ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #1,581 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 27 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for throw, with forms such as "htrow", "thhrow", and "thorw". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "tow", "Troy", "thru", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English throwen, thrawen, from Old English þrāwan (“to turn, twist”), from Proto-West Germanic *þrāan, from Proto-Germanic *þrēaną (“to twist, turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- (“to rub, rub by twisting, twist, turn”). Cognate with Scots … The correct English form is throw, spelled T-H-R-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    To hurl; to release (an object) with some force from one’s hands, an apparatus, etc. so that it moves rapidly through the air.
  2. 2
    To eject or cause to fall off.
  3. 3
    To move to another position or condition; to displace.
  4. 4
    To make (a pot) by shaping clay as it turns on a wheel.
  5. 5
    To deliver (the ball) illegally by straightening the bowling arm during delivery.
  6. 6
    To send (an error) to an exception-handling mechanism in order to interrupt normal processing.
  7. 7
    To intentionally lose a game.
  8. 8
    (of a game where one’s role is throwing something) To perform in a specified way in (a match).
  9. 9
    To confuse or mislead.
  10. 10
    To send hastily or desperately.
  11. 11
    To imprison.
  12. 12
    To organize an event, especially a party.
  13. 13
    To roll (a die or dice).
  14. 14
    To cause a certain number on the die or dice to be shown after rolling it.
  15. 15
    To discard.
  16. 16
    To lift or unbalance one’s opponent and then bring him back down to the ground, especially into a position behind the thrower.
  17. 17
    To change (one’s voice) in order to give the illusion that the voice is that of someone else, or coming from a different place.
  18. 18
    To show sudden emotion, especially anger.
  19. 19
    To project or send forth.
  20. 20
    To put on hastily; to spread carelessly.
  21. 21
    To twist two or more filaments of (silk, etc.) so as to form one thread; to twist together, as singles, in a direction contrary to the twist of the singles themselves; sometimes applied to the whole class of operations by which silk is prepared for the weaver.
  22. 22
    To select (a pitcher); to assign a pitcher to a given role (such as starter or reliever).
  23. 23
    To install (a bridge).
  24. 24
    To twist or turn.
  25. 25
    Synonym of pass.
  26. 26
    To deliver.
  27. 27
    Of animals: to give birth to (young).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. throw a shoe; throw a javelin; the horse threw its rider
  2. When this conversation was repeated in detail within the hearing of the young woman in question, and undoubtedly for his benefit, Mr. Trevor threw shame to the winds and scandalized the Misses Brewster then and there by proclaiming his father to have been a country storekeeper.

Etymology

From Middle English throwen, thrawen, from Old English þrāwan (“to turn, twist”), from Proto-West Germanic *þrāan, from Proto-Germanic *þrēaną (“to twist, turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- (“to rub, rub by twisting, twist, turn”). Cognate with Scots thraw (“to twist, turn, throw”), West Frisian triuwe (“to push”), Dutch draaien (“to turn”), Low German draien, dreien (“to turn (in a lathe)”), German drehen (“to turn”). Displaced warp as the word for hurling and was displaced by warp as the word for twisting.

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • htrow
  • thhrow
  • thorw
  • throww
  • thrrow
  • thrwo
  • trhow
  • tthrow

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

htrow2thhrow1thorw2throww1thrrow1thrwo2trhow2tthrow1
Edit distance from "throw"

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 "throw"?
"throw" is spelled T-H-R-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /θɹəʊ/.
What does "throw" mean?
As a verb, "throw" means: To hurl; to release (an object) with some force from one’s hands, an apparatus, etc. so that it moves rapidly through the air.
What words are commonly confused with "throw"?
"throw" is commonly confused with "tow", "Troy", "thru". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "throw"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "throw" is /θɹəʊ/. 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 "throw"?
From Middle English throwen, thrawen, from Old English þrāwan (“to turn, twist”), from Proto-West Germanic *þrāan, from Proto-Germanic *þrēaną (“to twist, turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- (“to rub, rub by twisting, twist, turn”). Cognate w... 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 "throw", 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 "throw". Here's where to go from here.

  • "throw" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "tow". View pair
  • 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #1,581 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list