Urim and Thummim
/ˈjəɹ.əm ænd ˌθəm.məm/
Detailed reference entry for the English word "urim-and-thummim", 16-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Wiktionary, and usage frequency ranked against an open word-frequency list covering the top 100,000 English words. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "urim-and-thummim" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "urim-and-thummim" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.
The verdict
“Urim and Thummim” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 16
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Certain sacred objects (whose precise form and nature is unknown) that were worn on the breastplate of the Jewish high priest, as described in the Bible, and used in divination or casting lots.
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See how Urim and Thummim compares against similar English words.
Browse all word comparisons →| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Urim and Thummim |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈjəɹ.əm ænd ˌθəm.məm/ |
| Letters | 16 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Urim and Thummim” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for Urim and Thummim is 16 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈjəɹ.əm ænd ˌθəm.məm/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No misspelling variants are generated for Urim and Thummim in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Biblical Hebrew אוּרִים (ʾûrîm) and תומים / תֻּמִּים (tummîm). Traditionally the Hebrew has been understood, and sometimes translated, as “Light and Truth” owing to the similarity to אוֹרִים (ʾôrîm, “lights”) and תָּמִים (tāmîm, “complete, morally upri… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is Urim and Thummim, spelled U-R-I-M- -A-N-D- -T-H-U-M-M-I-M, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Definition
- 1Certain sacred objects (whose precise form and nature is unknown) that were worn on the breastplate of the Jewish high priest, as described in the Bible, and used in divination or casting lots.
- 2Instruments by which divine revelation can be understood; often specifically the tools that Joseph Smith, Jr. said he had found on the hill Cumorah and used to interpret the golden plates.
Etymology
From Biblical Hebrew אוּרִים (ʾûrîm) and תומים / תֻּמִּים (tummîm). Traditionally the Hebrew has been understood, and sometimes translated, as “Light and Truth” owing to the similarity to אוֹרִים (ʾôrîm, “lights”) and תָּמִים (tāmîm, “complete, morally upright, in accordance with truth”), an interpretation that has contributed to the terms’ association with clairvoyance. There is no consensus on the validity of this reading in the original biblical context, particularly for Thummim.
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.
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Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY-SA). Copy the citation:
PlainSpell, “Urim and Thummim, English word data” (May 6, 2026). Derived from Wiktionary (kaikki.org, CC BY-SA) and an open word-frequency list. https://plainspell.com/en/word/urim-and-thummim
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Using “Urim and Thummim”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is U-R-I-M- -A-N-D- -T-H-U-M-M-I-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈjəɹ.əm ænd ˌθəm.məm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Nearby English words
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