thumbtack
/ˈθʌm.tæk/
"thumbtack" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“thumbtack” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small nail-like tack with a slightly rounded head that can be pressed into place with light pressure from the thumb; used for hanging light articles on a wall or noticeboard.
Corpus desk
Index EN-thumbtack · thumbtack · English
thumbtack · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "T" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | thumbtack |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈθʌm.tæk/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “thumbtack” in English
Rare enough to double-check
thumbtack is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈθʌm.tæk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A small nail-like tack with a slightly rounded head that can be pressed into place with light pressure from the thumb; used for hanging light articles on a wall or noticeboard.".
Zero misspellings are on record for thumbtack in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From thumb + tack. The correct English form is thumbtack, spelled T-H-U-M-B-T-A-C-K.
Definition
- 1A small nail-like tack with a slightly rounded head that can be pressed into place with light pressure from the thumb; used for hanging light articles on a wall or noticeboard.
Recorded use
Wiktionary exampleThese source excerpts show how thumbtack appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
You say that I'm broke my nigga, how is that? Bitch I'm stickin to this paper like a thumbtack
Etymology
From thumb + tack.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.