blinken

[ˈblɪŋkn̩]

/[ˈblɪŋkn̩]/ verb

The verdict

“blinken” has 11 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #28,107. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,107
frequency rank, German
5,818
“B” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - rhythmisch kurze Lichtsignale aussenden

Corpus desk

Index DE-blinken · blinken · German

blinken · rank #28,107 · 11 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,107
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,818
  • PHOTO-FINISH Blabla

Nearest frequency peer: Blabla (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “blinken”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “blinken” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

blinken vs blinkt
71% similar
blinken vs bringen
71% similar
blinken vs blonden
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for blinken
PropertyValue
Headwordblinken
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈblɪŋkn̩]
Letters7
Frequency rank#28,107
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “blinken” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). blinken lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around blinken (IPA [ˈblɪŋkn̩]), averb. Corpus frequency is #28,107 among 5,818 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for blinken, with forms such as "bblinken", "bilnken", and "bliknen". 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, "blinkt", "bringen", "blonden", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is blinken, spelled B-L-I-N-K-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    rhythmisch kurze Lichtsignale aussenden
  2. 2
    den Fahrtrichtungsanzeiger im Auto benutzen, um anzuzeigen, dass man abbiegen oder überholen möchte

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how blinken appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Wenn beide Kontrollleuchten am Gerät blinken, ist die Tintenpatrone leer.
  2. Die Sterne blinken am Himmel.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bblinken
  • bilnken
  • bliknen
  • blinekn
  • blinkenn
  • blinkken
  • blinkne
  • blinnken
  • bllinken
  • blniken
  • lbinken

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of blinken - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

bblinken1bilnken2bliknen2blinekn2blinkenn1blinkken1blinkne2blinnken1
Edit distance from "blinken"

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 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "blinken"?
"blinken" is spelled B-L-I-N-K-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈblɪŋkn̩].
What does "blinken" mean?
As a verb, "blinken" means: rhythmisch kurze Lichtsignale aussenden
What words are commonly confused with "blinken"?
"blinken" is commonly confused with "blinkt", "bringen", "blonden". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "blinken"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "blinken" is [ˈblɪŋkn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "blinken" come from?
"blinken" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "blinken", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

What to do next

You've looked up "blinken". Here's where to go from here.

  • "blinken" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "blinkt". View pair
  • 11 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #28,107 among German headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more German words in the "B" letter cohort. B–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list