Which to use
“winch” is a noun and “wink” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #27,701
- “winch” frequency rank
- #15,085
- “wink” frequency rank
- 42786
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | winch | wink |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A machine consisting of a drum on an axle, a friction brake or ratchet and pawl, and a crank handle or prime mover (often an electric or hydraulic motor), with or without gearing, to give increased mechanical advantage when hoisting or hauling on a rope or cable. | To close one's eyes in sleep. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set winch and wink apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: winch is /wɪnt͡ʃ/ while wink is /ˈwɪŋk/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42786, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
winch is recorded at frequency rank #27,701, classified as anoun, pronounced /wɪnt͡ʃ/. wink is at rank #15,085, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈwɪŋk/.
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 42786, this pair ranks #246,080 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of winch vs wink
Shared letters: inw. Private to "winch": ch. Private to "wink": k.
"winch" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "wink" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "winch" and "wink" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "winch" or "wink"?
Remembering winch vs wink
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “winch”; for a verb, it's “wink”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “winch” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable