hunk

/hʌŋk/

//hʌŋk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“hunk” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #24,788 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#24,788
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A large or dense piece of something.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

hunk vs hut
50% similar
hunk vs Hur
25% similar
hunk vs Hus
25% similar

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

Key facts for hunk
PropertyValue
Headwordhunk
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/hʌŋk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#24,788
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hunk” 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). hunk 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 hunk is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /hʌŋk/. Corpus data places it at rank #24,788 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 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 hunk, with forms such as "hhunk", "hnuk", and "hukn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "hut", "Hur", "Hus", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Probably borrowed from West Flemish hunke (“hunk; chunk”), of obscure origin. Probably from an earlier *humke, *humpke, a diminutive related to Dutch homp (“hunk; lump”), English hump, equivalent to hump + -kin. The sense of an attractive man is recorded in… The correct English form is hunk, spelled H-U-N-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A large or dense piece of something.
  2. 2
    An attractive man, especially one who is muscular.
  3. 3
    A record of differences between almost contiguous portions of two files (or other sources of information). Differences that are widely separated by areas which are identical in both files would not be part of a single hunk. Differences that are separated by small regions which are identical in both files may comprise a single hunk. Patches are made up of hunks.
  4. 4
    A honyock.

Etymology

Probably borrowed from West Flemish hunke (“hunk; chunk”), of obscure origin. Probably from an earlier *humke, *humpke, a diminutive related to Dutch homp (“hunk; lump”), English hump, equivalent to hump + -kin. The sense of an attractive man is recorded in Australian slang in 1941, in jive talk in 1945.

This word in other languages

pedazo(Español)morceau(Français)Stück(Deutsch)pedaço(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hhunk,hnuk,hukn,hunkk,hunnk,uhnk

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hunk - 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.

hhunk1hnuk2hukn2hunkk1hunnk1uhnk2
Edit distance from "hunk"

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 "hunk"?
"hunk" is spelled H-U-N-K. The IPA pronunciation is /hʌŋk/.
What does "hunk" mean?
As a noun, "hunk" means: A large or dense piece of something.
What words are commonly confused with "hunk"?
"hunk" is commonly confused with "hut", "Hur", "Hus". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hunk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hunk" is /hʌŋk/. 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 "hunk"?
Probably borrowed from West Flemish hunke (“hunk; chunk”), of obscure origin. Probably from an earlier *humke, *humpke, a diminutive related to Dutch homp (“hunk; lump”), English hump, equivalent to hump + -kin. The sense of an attractive man is r... 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 “hunk”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is H-U-N-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /hʌŋk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “hut” - see the side-by-side comparison. hunk vs hut
  • 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