ink

/ˈɪŋk/

//ˈɪŋk// noun

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

"ink" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ink” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #6,368) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#6,368
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A pigment (or dye)-based fluid used for writing, printing etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ink · ink · English

ink · rank #6,368 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,368
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH inhabitants

Nearest frequency peer: inhabitants (-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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “ink”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “ink” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

ink vs is
33% similar
ink vs it
33% similar
ink vs IV
0% similar

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

Key facts for ink
PropertyValue
Headwordink
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪŋk/
Letters3
Frequency rank#6,368
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “ink”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “inhabitants” (#6,367), “inn” (#6,369), “imagined” (#6,366). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “ink” is #6,368. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for ink is neighbouring look-alikes ("is", "it", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ˈɪŋk/. Frequency #6,368 among 2,140 “I” headwords. 6 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for ink, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "is", "it", "IV", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ynke, from Old French enque, from Latin encaustum (“purple ink used by Roman emperors to sign documents”), from Ancient Greek ἔγκαυστον (énkauston, “burned-in”), from ἐν (en, “in”) + καίω (kaíō, “burn”). In this sense, displaced native O… The correct English form is ink, spelled I-N-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A pigment (or dye)-based fluid used for writing, printing etc.
  2. 2
    A particular type, color or container of this fluid.
  3. 3
    The black or dark-colored fluid ejected by squid, octopus etc, as a protective strategy.
  4. 4
    Publicity.
  5. 5
    Tattoo work.
  6. 6
    Cheap red wine.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This form should be filled out in ink.
  2. While I was waiting for him in the Matted Gallery, a young man was most finely working in Indian inke the great picture of the King and Queen sitting [Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria of France], by Van Dyke [Anthony van Dyck]; and did it very finely.

Etymology

From Middle English ynke, from Old French enque, from Latin encaustum (“purple ink used by Roman emperors to sign documents”), from Ancient Greek ἔγκαυστον (énkauston, “burned-in”), from ἐν (en, “in”) + καίω (kaíō, “burn”). In this sense, displaced native Old English blæc (“ink”, literally “black”).

This word in other languages

tinta(Español)encre(Français)Tinte(Deutsch)tinta(Português)

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 "ink"?
"ink" is spelled I-N-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪŋk/.
What does "ink" mean?
As a noun, "ink" means: A pigment (or dye)-based fluid used for writing, printing etc.
What words are commonly confused with "ink"?
"ink" is commonly confused with "is", "it", "IV". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ink"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ink" is /ˈɪŋk/. 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 "ink"?
From Middle English ynke, from Old French enque, from Latin encaustum (“purple ink used by Roman emperors to sign documents”), from Ancient Greek ἔγκαυστον (énkauston, “burned-in”), from ἐν (en, “in”) + καίω (kaíō, “burn”). In this sense, displace... 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 "ink", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

inn#6,369PhD#6,395bio#6,335toe#6,424

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list