joke
/ˈd͡ʒoʊ̯k/noun, verb
joke is spelled J-O-K-E: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 48 times per million words in written English, the 2,113th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, joke means “An amusing story” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of joke is jokes.
How many letters and syllables are in joke?
| Letters | 4: J-O-K-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 48 times per million words; the 2,113th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is joke?
Joke appears 48 times per million words in written English, the 2,113th 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 joke?
- UK /ˈd͡ʒəʊ̯k/
- UK /ˈd͡ʒɵ̞ʊ̯k/
- US /ˈd͡ʒoʊ̯k/
Joke has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-joke.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with joke?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as joke from its last stressed vowel (/oʊk/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of joke
- jokes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- joking participle, present
- joked participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does joke mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An amusing story.
- 2
Something said or done for amusement, not in seriousness.
It was a joke!
- 3
A laughably worthless thing or person; a sham.
Your effort at cleaning your room is a joke.
- 4
Something that is far easier or far less challenging than expected.
The final exam was a joke.
verb
- 1
To do or say something for amusement rather than seriously.
I didn’t mean what I said – I was only joking.
- 2
To dupe in a friendly manner for amusement; to mess with, play with.
Relax, man, I'm just joking with you.
- 3
datedTo make merry with; to make jokes upon; to rally.
to joke a comrade
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Joke in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | plaisanterie, blague, joke , raté , plaisanter, blaguer |
| German | Witz , scherzen, Witze machen , Scherz, Streich, Spaß |
| Portuguese | piada , gracejar, contar piada, brincar , brincadeira |
| Spanish | broma, chiste, chascarrillo , bromear , cuchufleta, facecia |
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 joke come from?
From Latin iocus (“joke, jest, pastime”), from Proto-Italic *jokos (“word, (playful?) saying”), from Proto-Indo-European *yokos (“word, utterance”), from ultimate root Proto-Indo-European *yek- (“to speak, utter”) (of which distant cognates include Proto-Celtic *yextis (“language”) (Breton yezh (“language”) and Welsh iaith (“language”)) and German Beichte (“confession”)). Cognate with French jeu, Italian gioco, Portuguese jogo, Spanish juego, Romanian joc, English Yule, Danish Jule, Norwegian Bokmål Jul, Swedish Jul, and Norwegian Nynorsk jol.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).