Thule

/ˈθjuːliː/

//ˈθjuːliː// name

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

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

The verdict

“Thule” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #47,381. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#47,381
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The semi-legendary island of classical antiquity considered to represent the northernmost location in the inhabited world (the Ecumene).

Corpus desk

Index EN-thule · Thule · English

Thule · rank #47,381 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #47,381
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH thunk

Nearest frequency peer: thunk (+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 “Thule”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Thule” 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).

Thule vs Tue
60% similar
Thule vs true
40% similar
Thule vs thus
40% similar

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

Key facts for Thule
PropertyValue
HeadwordThule
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈθjuːliː/
Letters5
Frequency rank#47,381
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Thule”

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).Thulelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “thunk” (#47,382), “themself” (#47,379), “Tiber” (#47,383). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “Thule” is #47,381. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around Thule (IPA /ˈθjuːliː/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #47,381 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for Thule, with forms such as "htule", "thhule", and "thlue". 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, "Tue", "true", "thus", 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 Classical Latin Thūlē, Thȳlē, from Ancient Greek Θούλη (Thoúlē), Θῡ́λη (Thū́lē), of unknown origin, cognate with Middle English Tīle, Tȳle, from Old English Thȳle, Thīla, Thīle (variants of Þȳle) and Medieval Latin Tīle. The correct English form is Thule, spelled T-H-U-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The semi-legendary island of classical antiquity considered to represent the northernmost location in the inhabited world (the Ecumene).
  2. 2
    A nationalist and occultist group in Germany in the early 20th century, which included some of the founding members of the Nazi Party.
  3. 3
    The historical Eskimo culture extending from Alaska to Greenland between the 6th and 14th centuries.
  4. 4
    A settlement in northwestern Greenland established in 1910 by the Danish explorer Knud Rasmussen.
  5. 5
    An air base built on the site in the 1940s.
  6. 6
    A locality in the Murray River council area, southern New South Wales, Australia.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I have reached these lands but newly // From an ultimate dim Thule.
  2. For distant India tremble may // Beneath your mighty rule, // And Thulé⁵ bow beneath your sway // Far in the Northern sea, // But if to care and want you’re prey, // No king are you, but slave.

Etymology

From Classical Latin Thūlē, Thȳlē, from Ancient Greek Θούλη (Thoúlē), Θῡ́λη (Thū́lē), of unknown origin, cognate with Middle English Tīle, Tȳle, from Old English Thȳle, Thīla, Thīle (variants of Þȳle) and Medieval Latin Tīle.

This word in other languages

Thulé(Français)Thule(Deutsch)Tule(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • htule
  • thhule
  • thlue
  • thuel
  • thulle
  • tthule
  • tuhle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

htule2thhule1thlue2thuel2thulle1tthule1tuhle2
Edit distance from "Thule"

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 "Thule"?
"Thule" is spelled T-H-U-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈθjuːliː/.
What does "Thule" mean?
As a proper noun, "Thule" means: The semi-legendary island of classical antiquity considered to represent the northernmost location in the inhabited world (the Ecumene).
What words are commonly confused with "Thule"?
"Thule" is commonly confused with "Tue", "true", "thus". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Thule"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Thule" is /ˈθjuːliː/. 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 "Thule"?
From Classical Latin Thūlē, Thȳlē, from Ancient Greek Θούλη (Thoúlē), Θῡ́λη (Thū́lē), of unknown origin, cognate with Middle English Tīle, Tȳle, from Old English Thȳle, Thīla, Thīle (variants of Þȳle) and Medieval Latin Tīle. 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 "Thule", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

thunk#47,382Tiber#47,383tints#47,385tater#47,371

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

tanto7 variantssunnah7 variantsStyx7 variantsWillett7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list