chink
/t͡ʃɪŋk/noun, verb
chink is spelled C-H-I-N-K: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 46,473rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, chink means “A narrow opening such as a fissure or crack” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of chink is chinks.
How many letters and syllables are in chink?
| Letters | 5: C-H-I-N-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 46,473rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is chink?
Chink appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 46,473rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce chink?
- US /t͡ʃɪŋk/
Chink has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-chink.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with chink
Also written: kink.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with chink?
9 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as chink from its last stressed vowel (/ɪŋk/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of chink
- chinks plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- chinking participle, present
- chinked participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does chink mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A narrow opening such as a fissure or crack.
- 2
A narrow beam or patch of light admitted by such an opening.
I noticed a chink of light under the door.
- 3
A chip or dent in something metallic.
The warrior saw a chink in her enemy's armor, and aimed her spear accordingly.
- 4
A vulnerability or flaw in a protection system or in any otherwise formidable system.
The chink in the theory is that the invaders have superior muskets.
- 5
A slight sound as of metal objects touching each other; a clink.
- 6
archaiccolloquialdatedReady money, especially in the form of coins.
- 7
Alternative form of kink (“gasp for breath”).
- 8
Alternative letter-case form of Chink.
verb
- 1
To fill an opening such as the space between logs in a log house with chinking; to caulk.
to chink a wall
- 2
To crack; to open.
- 3
To cause to open in cracks or fissures.
- 4
To make a slight sound like that of metal objects touching.
The coins were chinking in his pocket.
- 5
To cause to make a sharp metallic sound, as coins, small pieces of metal, etc., by bringing them into collision with each other.
- 6
Alternative form of kink (“gasp for breath”).
noun
- 1
derogatoryoffensiveA person of perceived Chinese ethnicity or descent.
- 2
derogatoryoffensiveA person of perceived East Asian descent.
- 3
offensiveA meal of Chinese food.
adjective
- 1
derogatoryoffensiveChinese, or perceived to be Chinese.
- 2
derogatoryoffensiveEast Asian.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Chink in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Spalt, Riss, Ritze, Spalte , Delle, Beule |
| Spanish | fisura, rendija , rellenar , monedas |
| French | chinetoque, chinetoc, chintok |
| Portuguese | xing ling |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does chink come from?
Of uncertain origin, but apparently an extension, with diminutive -k (see more at -ock), of Middle English chine (or, if already suffixed in Middle English, *chinek), from Old English ċine (“a crack, chine, chink”), equivalent to chine + -k.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).