thump

Name: thump, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/θʌmp/

//θʌmp// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“thump” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,261. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,261
frequency rank, English: 3,151
“T” headwords: 8
tracked misspellings: 16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A blow that produces a muffled sound.

Corpus desk

Index EN-thump · thump · English

thump · rank #30,261 · 8 variants · 16 confusables

FREQ-MID #30,261
LEN-MID 5 letters
VOW-1 1 vowel
CONFUS-HIGH 16 pairs
VAR-MID 8 variants
BOOK-MID 3,151
PHOTO-FINISH totalled

Nearest frequency peer: totalled (+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.

teleport

69,746
thoughtfully

69,743
thump

69,740
totalled

69,739
trombone

69,738
tun

69,736

What this shows “thump” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

thump vs tum

60% similar

thump vs thus

60% similar

thump vs Thun

40% similar

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

Key facts for thump
Property	Value
Headword	thump
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/θʌmp/
Letters	5
Frequency rank	#30,261
Misspellings tracked	8
Confusable pairs	16
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “thump”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).thumplands here:

#30,261

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “totalled” (#30,262), “trombone” (#30,263), “thoughtfully” (#30,258). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “thump” is #30,261. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around thump (IPA /θʌmp/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #30,261 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for thump, with forms such as "htump", "thhump", and "thmup". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 16 confusable-pair relationships, "tum", "thus", "Thun", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Mid 16th century, probably imitative. The correct English form is thump, spelled T-H-U-M-P.

Definition

1
A blow that produces a muffled sound.
2
The sound of such a blow; a thud.
3
Used to replace the vulgar or blasphemous element in "what the hell" and similar phrases.
4
Synonym of bump (“sudden movement of underground strata”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

... and so the universal thump is passed round, and all hands should rub each other’s shoulder-blades, and be content.
The watchman gave so very great a thump at my door last night, that I awakened at the knock.

Etymology

Mid 16th century, probably imitative.

This word in other languages

dumpf(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

htump
thhump
thmup
thummp
thumpp
thupm
tthump
tuhmp

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of thump - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

Edit distance from "thump"

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 "thump"?

"thump" is spelled T-H-U-M-P. The IPA pronunciation is /θʌmp/.

What does "thump" mean?

As a noun, "thump" means: A blow that produces a muffled sound.

What words are commonly confused with "thump"?

"thump" is commonly confused with "tum", "thus", "Thun". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "thump"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "thump" is /θʌmp/. 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 "thump"?

Mid 16th century, probably imitative. 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 "thump", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

talon#30,254 waite#30,281 snows#30,234 yearn#30,293

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

soiled8 variants Winona8 variants Silvia8 variants Arlene8 variants