thus
/ˈðʌs/
"thus" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“thus” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,323 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.
- #1,323
- frequency rank, English
- 4
- letters
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - In this way or manner.
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
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for thus is 4 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈðʌs/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,323 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “thus”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is T-H-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈðʌs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Tu” - see the side-by-side comparison. thus vs Tu
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.