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” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,035. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,035
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Foul or unpleasant smell, especially body odor.

Corpus desk

Index EN-funk · funk · English

funk · rank #11,035 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,035
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fulfilling

Nearest frequency peer: fulfilling (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “funk”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “funk” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

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)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “funk”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).funklands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “fulfilling” (#11,034), “greatness” (#11,036), “friction” (#11,033). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “funk” is #11,035. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around funk (IPA /fʌŋk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,035 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how funk appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The foulest stench is in the air; the funk of 40,000 years and grizzly ghouls from every tomb are closing in to seal your doom.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "funk", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fest#11,031jong#11,058cork#11,007lump#11,065

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

fills6 variantsebook6 variantsIrene6 variantslitter6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list