Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

thick space

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.39 in modern English

Syllables
thick- s-pace
IPA
23
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A metal block used to separate words, one third of an em in width.

noun

In digital text, a character representing a thick space.

Etymology

From thick + space. First use appears c. 1683 in the writings of Joseph Moxon.

Inflected Forms

thick spaces (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

thin space em space en space word space no-break space zero-width space

Synonyms

3-to-the-em space 3-em space

Questions

What does thick space mean?
A metal block used to separate words, one third of an em in width.
Where does thick space come from?
From thick + space. First use appears c. 1683 in the writings of Joseph Moxon.

How to pronounce thick space

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “thick space”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “thick space”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “thick space” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.