thumbnail
/ˈθʌm.neɪl/noun, verb
thumbnail is spelled T-H-U-M-B-N-A-I-L: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, thumbnail means “The fingernail on the thumb” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of thumbnail is thumbnails.
How many letters and syllables are in thumbnail?
| Letters | 9: T-H-U-M-B-N-A-I-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.7 times per million words; the 21,209th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is thumbnail?
Thumbnail appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce thumbnail?
- /ˈθʌm.neɪl/
Thumbnail has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-thumbnail.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of thumbnail
- thumbnails plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- thumbnailing participle, present
- thumbnailed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does thumbnail mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The fingernail on the thumb.
- 2
A rough sketch (e.g., the size of one's thumbnail).
- 3
A small picture, used as a compact representation of a larger image.
- 4
A small picture representing a post or a video in a list.
verb
- 1
To describe concisely.
- 2
To create a smaller representation of (a larger image).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Thumbnail in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ongle du pouce , croquis , aperçu, vignette, miniature |
| German | Daumennagel , Vorschaubild, Thumbnail, Bildvorschau, Miniaturbild |
| Portuguese | unha do polegar , esboço , miniatura, thumbnail , bosquejar, esboçar |
| Spanish | uña del pulgar, uña de pólice , miniatura , pormenorizar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does thumbnail come from?
From thumb + nail. Compare West Frisian tommeneil (“thumbnail”), Dutch duimnagel (“thumbnail”), German Daumennagel (“thumbnail”). The phrase thumbnail sketch was first attested 1852. Verb sense attested 1930s.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).