Word Confusion: Throne versus Thrown

Posted January 25, 2018 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
4 Jan 2023

Throne and thrown are a pair of heterographs, but they are distinct enough that it shouldn’t be difficult to keep track of which is which. Don’t forget . . . spellcheck doesn’t read context. It simply tells you if the word is spelt correctly or not.

Spellcheck doesn’t care if your character was throne from the thrown. Of course, being thrown from the throne has a great many more connotations. Depending upon context . . . of course.

You may also want to explore “Threw versus Through” and/or “Throe versus Throw“.

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

If you found this post on “Throne versus Thrown” interesting, consider subscribing to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.

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Throne Thrown

A throne with a gold frame and red upholstery

Throne of Charles III of Spain, 1770s, is courtesy of 12019 / 12019 images under the CC0 license, via Pixabay.

Baseball player from the waist up wearing a baseball glove with the other arm thrown out

Cubs Lefty Jon Lester Throws a Bullpen “s” by apardavila under the CC BY 2.0 license, via BaseKnock MLB.

Lester had already thrown the ball.

Part of Grammar:
Noun;
Verb, intransitive & transitive

Plural for the noun: thrones
Gerund: throning

Third person present verb: thrones
Past tense or past participle: throned
Present participle: throning

Morpheme: throw


Noun 1;
Verb 1, intransitive & transitive, 2

Plural for the noun: throws
Gerund: throwing

Third person present verb: throws
Past tense: threw
Past participle: thrown
Present participle: throwing

Noun:
A ceremonial chair for a sovereign, bishop, or similar figure, usually raised on a dais and covered with a canopy

  • [the throne] Used to signify sovereign power, the office, or dignity of a sovereign
  • [Humorous] A toilet
  • [thrones; in traditional Christian angelology] The third-highest order of the ninefold celestial hierarchy

Mourners’ bench

The occupant of a throne

  • Sovereign

Verb, intransitive:
To sit on or as on a throne

Verb, transitive:
[Literary; usually be throned] Place (someone) on a throne

Noun:
As thrown does not have a noun form, I’m not including the noun definition or examples.

Verb, intransitive:
To cast, fling, or hurl a missile or the like 1

Verb, transitive:
Cause to enter suddenly a particular state or condition 1

  • Put (someone) in a particular place or state in a rough, abrupt, or summary fashion
  • Disconcert
  • Confuse

Send (one’s opponent) to the ground in wrestling, judo, or similar activity

  • [Of a horse] Unseat its rider

Form (ceramic ware) on a potter’s wheel

  • Turn wood or other material on a lathe
  • Twist (silk or other fabrics) into thread or yarn

Have a fit or tantrum

Give or hold a party

[Of an animal] Give birth to young, especially of a specified kind

Propel (something) with force through the air by a movement of the arm and hand 2

  • Push or force (someone or something) violently and suddenly into a particular physical position or state
  • Put in place or erect quickly
  • Move (a part of the body) quickly or suddenly in a particular direction
  • Project or cast (light or shadow) in a particular direction
  • Deliver a punch
  • Direct a particular kind of look or facial expression
  • Project (one’s voice) so that it appears to come from someone or something else, as in ventriloquism
  • [Throw something off/on] Put on or take off (a garment) hastily
  • Move (a switch or lever) so as to operate a device
  • Roll (dice)
  • Obtain (a specified number) by rolling dice
  • [Informal] Lose (a race or contest) intentionally, especially in return for a bribe
  • [Of a horse] Lose a shoe
Examples:
Noun:
The throne is a symbol of the bishop’s teaching authority in the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion churches.

Prince Charles is the heir to the throne.

You’ll have five minutes to address your pleas to the throne.

He’s been on that throne for an hour!

The Thrones or Elders are a class of celestial beings who are living symbols of God’s justice and authority.

He came to the throne by succession.

Queen Elizabeth is the throne.

A Game of Thrones is the first book in George R.R. Martin’s series, Song of Fire and Ice.

Verb, intransitive:
“The master, throned on high in his great splint-bottom arm-chair, was dozing, lulled by the drowsy hum of study” (Twain).

Verb, transitive:
The king was throned on a rock.

“True image of the Father, whether throned / In the bosom of bliss, and light of light” (Milton).

Verb, intransitive:
He had thrown too late.

Paul had thrown hard, but missed.

She had thrown up.

Verb, transitive:
I had thrown a brick through the window I thought in astonishment.

The pilot and one passenger were thrown clear and survived.

The door was thrown open and a uniformed guard entered the room.

The stewards had thrown a cordon across the fairway.

She had thrown her head back and laughed.

The scene was easy to see, as the chandelier had thrown its bright light over the walls.

Did you see the punch he had thrown?

She had thrown a withering glance at him.

Jamie had thrown his voice, making it seem as if the stuffed bear was talking.

I had thrown on my housecoat and gone to the door.

Paul had thrown the switch, and the house blew up.

He had thrown a main.

The racing officials found out he had thrown the race.

Warhorse has thrown a shoe.

Michael had thrown all her emotions into turmoil.

The bond market was thrown into confusion.

These guys should be thrown in jail.

She frowned, thrown by this apparent change of tack.

He won the match after he had thrown his opponent.

Blackie had thrown Susan yet again.

Jenny has thrown pots for years.

Mary has thrown hissy fits since she was a child.

The Kranks had thrown a noisy party last night.

Sometimes a completely black calf is thrown.

Derivatives:
Adjective: throneless
Verb: enthrone
Adjective: throwable, unthrown, well-thrown
Noun: throwing
Phrasal Verb
thrown money around
thrown oneself at
thrown oneself into
thrown oneself on
thrown oneself upon
thrown people together
thrown someone out
thrown someone over
thrown something away
thrown something in
thrown something off
thrown something open
thrown something out
thrown something up
thrown up
History of the Word:
Middle English from the Old French trone, which is via the Latin from the Greek thronos meaning elevated seat.
  1. Old English thrāwan meaning to twist, turn and related to the Dutch draaien and the German drehen, from an Indo-European root shared by the Latin terere meaning to rub, the Greek teirein meaning wear out.
  2. Middle English expressing propulsion and sudden action.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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Resources for Throne versus Thrown

Apple Dictionary.com

Dictionary.com: throne, thrown

Milton, John. “The First Book.” Paradise Regain’d. 2012. Originally published 1671. <https://amzn.to/3rC8roz>.

Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. SeaWolf Press, 2020. EBook. <https://amzn.to/3CG0cOn>.

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Pinterest Photo Credits:

Accessible Shower by CDC/ Richard Duncan, MRP, Sr. Proj. Mngr, North Carolina State University, The Center for Universal Design (CUD) acquired from Public Health Image Library is in the public domain, via Free Stock Photos Biz. Toilet is Schlamniel’s own work and is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

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