minx

/mɪŋks/

//mɪŋks// noun

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

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

The verdict

“minx” is uncommon English (frequency #53,706 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,706
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A flirtatious, impudent, or pert young woman.

Corpus desk

Index EN-minx · minx · English

minx · rank #53,706 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #53,706
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH MIPS

Nearest frequency peer: MIPS (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “minx”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “minx” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for minx
PropertyValue
Headwordminx
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mɪŋks/
Letters4
Frequency rank#53,706
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “minx” in English

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

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “MIPS” (#53,707), “mineralization” (#53,704), “mindlessly” (#53,703). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “minx” is #53,706. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

minx is uncommon English at frequency #53,706 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /mɪŋks/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for minx in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *ǵʰmṓ The origin of the noun is uncertain. The following possible derivations have been suggested: * A variation of minikin (“(obsolete) young person, especially a young woman; small or insignificant person, thing, or amount”) + a variation of -s … The correct English form is minx, spelled M-I-N-X.

Definition

  1. 1
    A flirtatious, impudent, or pert young woman.
  2. 2
    A promiscuous woman; also, a mistress (“the other woman in an extramarital relationship”) or a prostitute.
  3. 3
    A pet dog.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In an other corner, Mistris Minx, a marchants wife, that will eate no cherries, forsooth, but when they are at twentie shillings a pound, that lookes as simperingly as if she were besmeard, and iets it as gingerly as if she were dancing the canaries, […]
  2. How Huſſie! was there ever ſuch a provoking Minx?

Etymology

PIE word *ǵʰmṓ The origin of the noun is uncertain. The following possible derivations have been suggested: * A variation of minikin (“(obsolete) young person, especially a young woman; small or insignificant person, thing, or amount”) + a variation of -s (suffix forming hypocoristic nouns (nicknames)) (compare minckins, a variant of minikin). * From Dutch mens, mensch (“human being, person; (derogatory, informal) woman”) (obsolete), Middle Dutch minsc, minsce, minsch; or from German Low German minsch, minsk, Middle Low German minsche (“hussy, wench”), all ultimately from Proto-Germanic *manniskaz (“human”, adjective), from *mann- (“human being, person; man”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰmṓ (“earthling”), *men- (“to mind; to think; spiritual activity”), or *mon- (“human being; man”)) + *-iskaz (suffix meaning ‘characteristic of, pertaining to’ forming adjectives). The verb is derived from the noun.

This word in other languages

pimbêche(Français)

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 "minx"?
"minx" is spelled M-I-N-X. The IPA pronunciation is /mɪŋks/.
What does "minx" mean?
As a noun, "minx" means: A flirtatious, impudent, or pert young woman.
How do you pronounce "minx"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "minx" is /mɪŋks/. 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 "minx"?
PIE word *ǵʰmṓ The origin of the noun is uncertain. The following possible derivations have been suggested: * A variation of minikin (“(obsolete) young person, especially a young woman; small or insignificant person, thing, or amount”) + a variat... 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 "minx", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

MIPS#53,707Ludo#53,671Ogun#53,742Lodz#53,666

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list