thus
/ˈðʌs/
"thus" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“thus” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,323. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #1,323
- frequency rank, English
- 3,151
- “T” headwords
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In this way or manner.
Corpus desk
Index EN-thus · thus · English
thus · rank #1,323 · 6 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-COMMON #1,323
- LEN-MID 4 letters
- VOW-1 1 vowel
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-MID 6 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,151
- PHOTO-FINISH sweet
Nearest frequency peer: sweet (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “thus”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- speaking
speaking
98,681 corpus weight
- supposed
supposed
98,680 corpus weight
- sweet
sweet
98,679 corpus weight
- thus
thus
98,678 corpus weight
- touch
touch
98,677 corpus weight
- yesterday
yesterday
98,676 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “thus” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | thus |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | /ˈðʌs/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #1,323 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “thus” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 6 spelling variants around thus (IPA /ˈðʌs/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #1,323 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for thus, with forms such as "htus", "thhus", and "thsu". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Tu", "TS", "thy", 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 Middle English thus, þus, from Old English þus (“thus, in this way, as follows, in this manner, to this extent”), from Proto-West Germanic *þus (“so, thus”), perhaps originally from a variant of the instrumental form of this, related to Old English þȳs… The correct English form is thus, spelled T-H-U-S.
Definition
- 1In this way or manner.
- 2As a result.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how thus appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
If you throw the ball thus, as I’m showing you, you’ll have better luck hitting the target.
But then I had the [massive] flintlock by me for protection. ¶[…]The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window at the old mare feeding in the meadow below by the brook, and a 'bead' could be drawn upon Molly, the dairymaid, kissing the fogger behind the hedge…
Etymology
From Middle English thus, þus, from Old English þus (“thus, in this way, as follows, in this manner, to this extent”), from Proto-West Germanic *þus (“so, thus”), perhaps originally from a variant of the instrumental form of this, related to Old English þȳs (“by this, with this”), Old Saxon thius (“by this, with this”). Cognate with Scots thus (“thus”), North Frisian thus, Saterland Frisian dus, düs (“thus”), West Frisian dus (“thus”), Dutch dus (“thus, so”), Middle High German dus (“thus, as follows”). Compare also Dutch zus (“thus, hence”), Low German sus (“thus, hence”), Middle High German sus (“thus, hence”), a similar formation from the stem of Proto-West Germanic *swā (“so”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- htus
- thhus
- thsu
- thuss
- tthus
- tuhs
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of thus - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "thus", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).
What to do next
You've looked up "thus". Here's where to go from here.
- "thus" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "Tu". View pair
- 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
- Usage frequency rank #1,323 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more English words in the "T" letter cohort. T–Z browse
- PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.