glint
/ɡlɪnt/noun, verb
glint is spelled G-L-I-N-T: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, glint means “A short flash of light, usually when reflected off a shiny surface” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of glint is glints.
How many letters and syllables are in glint?
| Letters | 5: G-L-I-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 44,209th 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 glint?
Glint appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,209th 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 glint?
- /ɡlɪnt/
Glint 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-glint.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of glint
- glints plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- more glint comparative
- most glint superlative
- glinting participle, present
- glinted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does glint mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A short flash of light, usually when reflected off a shiny surface.
I saw the glint of metal as he raised the gun.
- 2
obsoleteA brief look; a glance.
verb
- 1
To flash or gleam briefly.
A wedding ring glinted on her finger.
- 2
To glance; to peep forth, as a flower from the bud; to glitter.
- 3
To cause to flash or gleam; to reflect.
- 4
archaicTo dry; to wither.
The sun glints grass and corn.
adjective
- 1
archaicNot sharp; dull.
The knife is glint.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Glint in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 glint come from?
15th century. Borrowed from Scots glint, from Middle English glenten (“to shine, gleam; flash”), probably from Old Norse *glenta, from Proto-Germanic *glantijaną, causitive of Proto-Germanic *glintaną (“to gleam, shine”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰley- (“to shine”). Cognate with Danish glente, Swedish glänta, Norwegian Nynorsk gletta (“to peep, look”), Middle High German glinzen; compare also Swedish glinta (“to slip, slide, gleam, shine”), Swedish glimt (“flash, glint, glimpse”), Norwegian Nynorsk glanta, gletta (“to glide, slip”). Reintroduced into literary English by Robert Burns.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).