link

/lɪŋk/

//lɪŋk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“link” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,108 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,108
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A connection between places, people, events, things, or ideas.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

link vs LN
0% similar
link vs lit
50% similar
link vs lip
50% similar

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

Key facts for link
PropertyValue
Headwordlink
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/lɪŋk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,108
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “link” 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). link 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 link is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /lɪŋk/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,108 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 15 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 link, with forms such as "ilnk", "likn", and "linkk". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "LN", "lit", "lip", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English linke, lenke, from a merger of Old English hlenċe, hlenċa (“ring; chainlink”) and Old Norse *hlenkr, hlekkr (“ring; chain”); both from Proto-Germanic *hlankiz (“ring; bond; fettle; fetter”), from Proto-Germanic *hlankaz (“bendsome, flexi… The correct English form is link, spelled L-I-N-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A connection between places, people, events, things, or ideas.
  2. 2
    One element of a chain or other connected series.
  3. 3
    Abbreviation of hyperlink.
  4. 4
    The connection between buses or systems.
  5. 5
    A space comprising one or more disjoint knots.
  6. 6
    A thin wild bank of land splitting two cultivated patches and often linking two hills.
  7. 7
    An individual person or element in a system
  8. 8
    Anything doubled and closed like a link of a chain.
  9. 9
    A sausage that is not a patty.
  10. 10
    Any one of the several elementary pieces of a mechanism, such as the fixed frame, or a rod, wheel, mass of confined liquid, etc., by which relative motion of other parts is produced and constrained.
  11. 11
    Any intermediate rod or piece for transmitting force or motion, especially a short connecting rod with a bearing at each end; specifically (in steam engines) the slotted bar, or connecting piece, to the opposite ends of which the eccentric rods are jointed, and by means of which the movement of the valve is varied, in a link motion.
  12. 12
    The length of one joint of Gunter's chain, being the hundredth part of it, or 7.92 inches, the chain being 66 feet in length.
  13. 13
    A bond of affinity, or a unit of valence between atoms; applied to a unit of chemical force or attraction.
  14. 14
    The windings of a river; the land along a winding stream.
  15. 15
    An introductory cue.

Etymology

From Middle English linke, lenke, from a merger of Old English hlenċe, hlenċa (“ring; chainlink”) and Old Norse *hlenkr, hlekkr (“ring; chain”); both from Proto-Germanic *hlankiz (“ring; bond; fettle; fetter”), from Proto-Germanic *hlankaz (“bendsome, flexible”), from Proto-Indo-European *kleng-, *klenk- (“to bend; twist; wind”). Used in English since the 14th century. Related to lank. Cognates Cognate with Low German Lenk (“link”), Danish lænke (“chain; link”), Elfdalian lekk (“link”), Icelandic hlekkur (“link”), Norwegian Bokmål lenke (“chain; link”), Norwegian Nynorsk lenke, lenkje (“chain; link”), Swedish länk (“chain; link”).

Synonyms

connectionbandbondlinknexustievinculum

Antonyms

breakgap

This word in other languages

enlace(Español)lien(Français)Verbindung(Deutsch)ligação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ilnk,likn,linkk,linnk,llink,lnik

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ilnk2likn2linkk1linnk1llink1lnik2
Edit distance from "link"

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 "link"?
"link" is spelled L-I-N-K. The IPA pronunciation is /lɪŋk/.
What does "link" mean?
As a noun, "link" means: A connection between places, people, events, things, or ideas.
What words are commonly confused with "link"?
"link" is commonly confused with "LN", "lit", "lip". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "link"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "link" is /lɪŋk/. 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 "link"?
From Middle English linke, lenke, from a merger of Old English hlenċe, hlenċa (“ring; chainlink”) and Old Norse *hlenkr, hlekkr (“ring; chain”); both from Proto-Germanic *hlankiz (“ring; bond; fettle; fetter”), from Proto-Germanic *hlankaz (“bends... 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 “link”

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

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