munchkin
/ˈmʌnt͡ʃkɪn/noun
munchkin is spelled M-U-N-C-H-K-I-N: 8 letters. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, munchkin means “A child” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of munchkin is munchkins.
How many letters and syllables are in munchkin?
| Letters | 8: M-U-N-C-H-K-I-N |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 42,145th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is munchkin?
Munchkin appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th 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 munchkin?
- UK /ˈmʌnʃkɪn/
- US /ˈmʌnt͡ʃkɪn/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-munchkin.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of munchkin
- munchkins plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does munchkin mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
informalA child.
- 2
informalA person of very short stature.
- 3
Alternative letter-case form of Munchkin (“domestic cat breed”).
- 4
A player who mainly concentrates on increasing their character's power and capabilities.
- 5
informalslangSynonym of donut hole (“ball-shaped pastry”).
- 6
informalA pet name one used for someone considered adorable, such as a pet, child, or a romantic partner.
noun
- 1
A domestic cat breed with short legs.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Munchkin in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 munchkin come from?
Coined by American author L. Frank Baum in 1900 in his novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Perhaps reflective of German Mensch or munch + -kin. Compare Low German Menschken and Low German Minschken. Sense 5 (“donut hole”) is a genericization of the Dunkin' trademark "Munchkins".
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).