funk

/fʌŋk/

//fʌŋk// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"funk" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“funk” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,035 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#11,035
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Foul or unpleasant smell, especially body odor.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

funk vs fur
50% similar
funk vs fut
50% similar
funk vs fury
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for funk
PropertyValue
Headwordfunk
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fʌŋk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#11,035
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “funk” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). funk lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for funk is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /fʌŋk/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,035 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for funk, with forms such as "ffunk", "fnuk", and "fukn". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fur", "fut", "fury", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: 1620, from French dialectal (Norman) funquer, funquier (“to smoke, reek”), from Old Northern French fungier (“to smoke”), from Vulgar Latin fūmicāre, alteration of Latin fūmigāre (“to smoke, fumigate”). Related to French dialect funkière (“smoke”). More at … The correct English form is funk, spelled F-U-N-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Foul or unpleasant smell, especially body odor.
  2. 2
    A style of music derived from 1960s soul music, with elements of rock and other styles, characterized by a prominent bass guitar, dance-friendly sound, a strong emphasis on the downbeat, and much syncopation.

Etymology

1620, from French dialectal (Norman) funquer, funquier (“to smoke, reek”), from Old Northern French fungier (“to smoke”), from Vulgar Latin fūmicāre, alteration of Latin fūmigāre (“to smoke, fumigate”). Related to French dialect funkière (“smoke”). More at fumigate.

This word in other languages

hedor(Español)puanteur(Français)Mief(Deutsch)fedor(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ffunk,fnuk,fukn,funkk,funnk,ufnk

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of funk - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ffunk1fnuk2fukn2funkk1funnk1ufnk2
Edit distance from "funk"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "funk"?
"funk" is spelled F-U-N-K. The IPA pronunciation is /fʌŋk/.
What does "funk" mean?
As a noun, "funk" means: Foul or unpleasant smell, especially body odor.
What words are commonly confused with "funk"?
"funk" is commonly confused with "fur", "fut", "fury". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "funk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "funk" is /fʌŋk/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "funk"?
1620, from French dialectal (Norman) funquer, funquier (“to smoke, reek”), from Old Northern French fungier (“to smoke”), from Vulgar Latin fūmicāre, alteration of Latin fūmigāre (“to smoke, fumigate”). Related to French dialect funkière (“smoke”)... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “funk”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is F-U-N-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /fʌŋk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “fur” - see the side-by-side comparison. funk vs fur
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

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