fink
/fɪŋk/noun, verb
fink is spelled F-I-N-K: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, fink means “A contemptible person” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of fink is finks.
How many letters and syllables are in fink?
| Letters | 4: F-I-N-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 26,420th 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 fink?
Fink appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th 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 fink?
- /fɪŋk/
Fink 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-au-fink.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with fink
Also written: think.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of fink
- finks plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- finking participle, present
- finked participle, past
- fought participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fink mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
USslangA contemptible person.
Near-synonyms: see Thesaurus:jerk, Thesaurus:idiot
- 2
USslangAn informer.
- 3
USslangA strikebreaker.
- 4
USslangAny of several birds in the family Ploceidae native to southern Africa.
verb
- 1
USslangTo betray a trust; to inform on.
- 2
USslangPronunciation spelling of think.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fink in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | informante, delator , fura-greve , dedurar |
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 fink come from?
Unknown; first attested in 1894. A connection to Yiddish as some propose is unlikely.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).