junk

/d͡ʒʌŋk/

//d͡ʒʌŋk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“junk” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,800. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,800
frequency rank, English
796
“J” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Miscellaneous items of little value, especially discarded or unwanted items.

Corpus desk

Index EN-junk · junk · English

junk · rank #6,800 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,800
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 796
  • PHOTO-FINISH jo

Nearest frequency peer: jo (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “junk”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “junk” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

junk vs jus
50% similar
junk vs just
50% similar
junk vs jury
50% similar

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

Key facts for junk
PropertyValue
Headwordjunk
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/d͡ʒʌŋk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#6,800
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “junk”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).junklands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “jo” (#6,799), “Kenny” (#6,801), “insist” (#6,798). Among 796 “J” headwords, “junk” is #6,800. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around junk (IPA /d͡ʒʌŋk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,800 among 796 “J” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for junk, with forms such as "jjunk", "jnuk", and "jukn". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "jus", "just", "jury", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From earlier meaning "old refuse from boats and ships", from Middle English junk, jounke, jonk, joynk (“an old cable or rope”, nautical term), sometimes cut into bits and used as caulking; of uncertain origin; perhaps related to join, joint, juncture. Often… The correct English form is junk, spelled J-U-N-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Miscellaneous items of little value, especially discarded or unwanted items.
  2. 2
    Material or resources of poor quality or low value, especially resources that lack commercial value.
  3. 3
    Nonsense; gibberish.
  4. 4
    Any narcotic drug, especially heroin.
  5. 5
    The genitalia, especially of a male.
  6. 6
    Salt beef.
  7. 7
    Pieces of old cable or cordage, used for making gaskets, mats, swabs, etc., and when picked to pieces, forming oakum for filling the seams of ships.
  8. 8
    A fragment of any solid substance; a thick piece; a chunk.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This shed is full of junk – will you help me sort it out?
  2. She needs to find a better place to keep her junk [= belongings].

Etymology

From earlier meaning "old refuse from boats and ships", from Middle English junk, jounke, jonk, joynk (“an old cable or rope”, nautical term), sometimes cut into bits and used as caulking; of uncertain origin; perhaps related to join, joint, juncture. Often compared to Middle English junk, jonk, jonke, junck (“a rush; basket made of rushes”), from Old French jonc, from Latin iuncus (“rush, reed”); however, the Oxford English Dictionary finds "no evidence of connexion".

This word in other languages

basura(Español)came(Français)Kram(Deutsch)porcaria(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • jjunk
  • jnuk
  • jukn
  • junkk
  • junnk
  • ujnk

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of junk - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

jjunk1jnuk2jukn2junkk1junnk1ujnk2
Edit distance from "junk"

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 "junk"?
"junk" is spelled J-U-N-K. The IPA pronunciation is /d͡ʒʌŋk/.
What does "junk" mean?
As a noun, "junk" means: Miscellaneous items of little value, especially discarded or unwanted items.
What words are commonly confused with "junk"?
"junk" is commonly confused with "jus", "just", "jury". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "junk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "junk" is /d͡ʒʌŋk/. 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 "junk"?
From earlier meaning "old refuse from boats and ships", from Middle English junk, jounke, jonk, joynk (“an old cable or rope”, nautical term), sometimes cut into bits and used as caulking; of uncertain origin; perhaps related to join, joint, junct... 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 "junk", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hype#6,795marc#6,807fork#6,788pill#6,821

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

Kenny6 variantsLloyd6 variantslobby6 variantseager6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list