thumbscrew
/ˈθʌmskɹuː/noun
thumbscrew is spelled T-H-U-M-B-S-C-R-E-W: 10 letters. It appears about once in every 43 million words in written English, the 201,693rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, thumbscrew means “A screw that is designed to be turned with the thumb and fingers, thus requiring no screwdriver or spanner (wrench)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of thumbscrew is thumbscrews.
How many letters and syllables are in thumbscrew?
| Letters | 10: T-H-U-M-B-S-C-R-E-W |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 43 million words; the 201,693rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is thumbscrew?
Thumbscrew appears about once in every 43 million words in written English, the 201,693rd 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 thumbscrew?
- /ˈθʌmskɹuː/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-thumbscrew.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of thumbscrew
- thumbscrews plural
- thumb-screw
- thumb screw
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does thumbscrew mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A screw that is designed to be turned with the thumb and fingers, thus requiring no screwdriver or spanner (wrench).
- 2
An instrument of torture used to crush the fingers.
- 3
A weakness that can be taken advantage of.
Law 33: Discover Each Man's Thumbscrew ― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Thumbscrew in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Rändelschraube, Flügelschraube , Daumenschraube |
| French | poucette, grésillons |
| Spanish | empulgueras |
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 thumbscrew come from?
From thumb + screw.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).