thud

/ˈθʌd/

//ˈθʌd// noun

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

"thud" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“thud” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #33,056 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#33,056
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The sound of a dull impact.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

thud vs Tu
25% similar
thud vs thy
50% similar
thud vs tub
50% similar

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

Key facts for thud
PropertyValue
Headwordthud
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈθʌd/
Letters4
Frequency rank#33,056
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “thud” 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). thud 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 thud is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈθʌd/. Corpus data places it at rank #33,056 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for thud, with forms such as "htud", "thdu", and "thhud". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Tu", "thy", "tub", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English thudden (“to strike with a weapon”), from Old English þyddan (“to strike, press, thrust”), from Proto-Germanic *þuddijaną, *þiudijaną (“to strike, thrust”), from Proto-Germanic *þūhaną, *þeuhaną (“to press”), from Proto-Indo-European *tū… The correct English form is thud, spelled T-H-U-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    The sound of a dull impact.
  2. 2
    A hard, dull impact.
  3. 3
    A slower, dull impact with a wide surface area.

Etymology

From Middle English thudden (“to strike with a weapon”), from Old English þyddan (“to strike, press, thrust”), from Proto-Germanic *þuddijaną, *þiudijaną (“to strike, thrust”), from Proto-Germanic *þūhaną, *þeuhaną (“to press”), from Proto-Indo-European *tūk- (“to beat”). Cognate with Old English þoddettan (“to strike, push, batter”), Old English þȳdan (“to strike, stab, thrust, press”), Old English þēowan (“to press”), Albanian thundër (“a hoof, talon, a shaft", figuratively, "oppression, torment”).

This word in other languages

martèlement(Français)Bollern(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: htud,thdu,thhud,thudd,tthud,tuhd

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

htud2thdu2thhud1thudd1tthud1tuhd2
Edit distance from "thud"

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 "thud"?
"thud" is spelled T-H-U-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈθʌd/.
What does "thud" mean?
As a noun, "thud" means: The sound of a dull impact.
What words are commonly confused with "thud"?
"thud" is commonly confused with "Tu", "thy", "tub". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "thud"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "thud" is /ˈθʌd/. 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 "thud"?
From Middle English thudden (“to strike with a weapon”), from Old English þyddan (“to strike, press, thrust”), from Proto-Germanic *þuddijaną, *þiudijaną (“to strike, thrust”), from Proto-Germanic *þūhaną, *þeuhaną (“to press”), from Proto-Indo-Eu... 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 “thud”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is T-H-U-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈθʌd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Tu” - see the side-by-side comparison. thud vs Tu
  • 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