You vs. Thou — What's the Difference?
Difference Between You and Thou
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You
In Modern English, you is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers.
Thou
The word thou is a second-person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in most contexts by you.
You
Used to refer to the person or people that the speaker is addressing
Are you listening?
I love you
Thou
Compare with thee
Thou art fair, O my beloved
You
Used to refer to any person in general
After a while, you get used to it
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Thou
A thousand
Two hundred thou
You
(object pronoun) The people spoken, or written to, as an object.
Both of you should get ready now.
Thou
A thousand, especially of dollars.
You
(To) yourselves, (to) yourself.
Thou
Form of {{glossary.
You
(object pronoun) The person spoken to or written to, as an object. (Replacing thee; originally as a mark of respect.)
Thou
(transitive) To address (a person) using the pronoun thou, especially as an expression of contempt or familiarity.
Don’t thou them as thous thee!
– a Yorkshire English admonition to overly familiar children
You
(subject pronoun) The people spoken to or written to, as a subject. (Replacing ye.)
You are all supposed to do as I tell you.
Thou
(intransitive) To use the word thou.
You
(subject pronoun) The person spoken to or written to, as a subject. (Originally as a mark of respect.)
Thou
(Britain) A unit of length equal to one-thousandth of an inch (25.4 µm).
You
(indefinite personal pronoun) Anyone, one; an unspecified individual or group of individuals (as subject or object).
Thou
(slang) A thousand, especially a thousand of some currency (dollars, pounds sterling, etc.).
You
The individual or group spoken or written to.
Have you gentlemen come to see the lady who fell backwards off a bus?
Thou
Misspelling of though
You
Used before epithets, describing the person being addressed, for emphasis.
You idiot!
Thou
Misspelling of though
You
(transitive) To address (a person) using the pronoun you (in the past, especially to use you rather than thou, when you was considered more formal).
Thou
The second personal pronoun, in the singular number, denoting the person addressed; thyself; the pronoun which is used in addressing persons in the solemn or poetical style.
Art thou he that should come?
You
The pronoun of the second person, in the nominative, dative, and objective case, indicating the person or persons addressed. See the Note under Ye.
Ye go to Canterbury; God you speed.
Good sir, I do in friendship counsel youTo leave this place.
In vain you tell your parting loverYou wish fair winds may waft him over.
Thou
To address as thou, esp. to do so in order to treat with insolent familiarity or contempt.
If thou thouest him some thrice, it shall not be amiss.
Thou
To use the words thou and thee in discourse after the manner of the Friends.
Thou
The cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
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