thinksvstinkWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“thinks” and “tink” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,741
“thinks” frequency rank
#40,928
“tink” frequency rank
42669
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature thinks tink
Definition third-person singular simple present indicative of think To emit a high-pitched sharp or metallic noise.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set thinks and tink apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
thinks
4 ch
tink

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

thinks and tink form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42669, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

thinks is recorded at frequency rank #1,741, classified as averb, pronounced /θɪŋks/. tink is at rank #40,928, tagged as averb, pronounced /tɪŋk/.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 42669, this pair ranks #247,154 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

thinks#1,741
tink#40,928

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "thinks" and "tink" be used interchangeably?
No, "thinks" and "tink" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering thinks vs tink

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “thinks” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list