clink
/klɪŋk/noun, verb
clink is spelled C-L-I-N-K: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,947th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, clink means “The sound of metal on metal, or glass on glass” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of clink is clinks.
How many letters and syllables are in clink?
| Letters | 5: C-L-I-N-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 45,947th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is clink?
Clink appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,947th 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 clink?
- /klɪŋk/
Clink 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: En-us-clink.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of clink
- clinks plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- clinking participle, present
- clinked participle, past
- klink
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does clink mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The sound of metal on metal, or glass on glass.
You could hear the clink of the glasses from the next room.
- 2
Stress cracks produced in metal ingots as they cool after being cast.
- 3
datedslangA prison.
If he keeps doing things like that, he’s sure to end up in the clink.
verb
- 1
To make a clinking sound; to make a sound of metal on metal or glass on glass; to strike materials such as metal or glass against one another.
The hammers clinked on the stone all night.
- 2
datedTo rhyme.
- 3
ScotlandTo clinch; to rivet.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Clink in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | tinido , tinir |
| Spanish | entrechocamiento , entrechocar |
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 clink come from?
From Middle English clinken, from Old English *clincan (compare clynnan, clynian (“to sound; resound”)), from Proto-Germanic *klinganą (“to sound”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).