hulk
/hʌlk/noun, verb
hulk is spelled H-U-L-K: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 5.2 times per million words in written English, the 10,843rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, hulk means “A non-functional but floating ship, usually stripped of equipment and rigging, and often put to other uses such as accommodation or storage” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of hulk is hulks.
How many letters and syllables are in hulk?
| Letters | 4: H-U-L-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.2 times per million words; the 10,843rd 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 hulk?
Hulk appears 5.2 times per million words in written English, the 10,843rd 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 hulk?
- US /hʌlk/
- /hʊlk/
Hulk 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-hulk.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of hulk
- hulks plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- hulking participle, present
- hulked participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hulk mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
archaicA large ship used for transportation; (more generally) a large ship that is difficult to manoeuvre.
- 2
A non-functional but floating ship, usually stripped of equipment and rigging, and often put to other uses such as accommodation or storage.
- 3
A large structure with a dominating presence.
- 4
A big (and possibly clumsy) person.
- 5
An excessively muscled person.
verb
- 1
To reduce (a ship) to a non-functional hulk.
- 2
To temporarily house (goods, people, etc.) in such a hulk.
- 3
To move (a large, hulking body).
- 4
To be a hulk, that is, a large, hulking, and often imposing presence.
- 5
Of a (large) person: to act or move slowly and clumsily.
- 6
To remove the entrails of; to disembowel.
noun
- 1
A person resembling, especially physically, the Hulk from the Marvel Comics universe.
- 2
A strongman.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hulk in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Hulk, Holk , Bulle, Riese |
| French | lourdaud, rustre , épave |
| Portuguese | matulão |
| Spanish | socotroco, zocotroco |
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 hulk come from?
From Middle English hulk, hulke, holke (“hut; shed for hogs; type of ship; husk, pod, shell; large, clumsy person; a giant”) (probably reinforced by Middle Dutch hulk, huelc, and Middle Low German hulk, holk, hollek (“freighter, cargo ship, barge”)), from Old English hulc (“light ship; heavy, clumsy ship; cabin, hovel, hut”), from Proto-West Germanic *huluk, *hulik, from Proto-Germanic *hulukaz, *hulikaz (“something hollowed or dug out, cavity”), equivalent to hole/hollow + -ock.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).