pink

/ˈpɪŋk/

//ˈpɪŋk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“pink” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,905. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,905
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A color reminiscent of pinks, the flowers.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pink · pink · English

pink · rank #2,905 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,905
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pilot

Nearest frequency peer: pilot (-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 “pink”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “pink” 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).

pink vs PK
0% similar
pink vs pit
50% similar
pink vs pun
50% similar

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

Key facts for pink
PropertyValue
Headwordpink
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɪŋk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#2,905
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pink”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).pinklands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “pilot” (#2,904), “presidential” (#2,906), “paint” (#2,903). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pink” is #2,905. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around pink (IPA /ˈpɪŋk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,905 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for pink, with forms such as "ipnk", "pikn", and "pinkk". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "PK", "pit", "pun", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Origin uncertain; perhaps from Dutch pinken (“blink”) or the English verb pink from the same source. Perhaps from the notion of the petals being pinked. An earlier word for similar flesh-like colors, mostly displaced by pink, was incarnation. The correct English form is pink, spelled P-I-N-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A color reminiscent of pinks, the flowers.
  2. 2
    A color reminiscent of pinks, the flowers.
  3. 3
    A color reminiscent of pinks, the flowers.
  4. 4
    Any of various flowers of that colour in the genus Dianthus, sometimes called carnations.
  5. 5
    A perfect example; excellence, perfection; the embodiment of some quality.
  6. 6
    Hunting pink; scarlet, as worn by hunters.
  7. 7
    A huntsman.
  8. 8
    One of the colour balls used in snooker, coloured pink, with a value of 6 points.
  9. 9
    An unlettered and uncultured, but relatively prosperous, member of the middle classes; compare Babbitt, bourgeoisie.
  10. 10
    Alternative form of pinko.
  11. 11
    The vagina or vulva.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. My new dress is a wonderful shade of pink.
  2. Jasper couldn't have known they'd been overheard upstairs, but his little smirk coming and going invited you to guess he'd been up to something. He had the pink of sex about him still.

Etymology

Origin uncertain; perhaps from Dutch pinken (“blink”) or the English verb pink from the same source. Perhaps from the notion of the petals being pinked. An earlier word for similar flesh-like colors, mostly displaced by pink, was incarnation.

This word in other languages

rosado(Español)rose(Français)Rosa(Deutsch)cor-de-rosa(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ipnk
  • pikn
  • pinkk
  • pinnk
  • pnik
  • ppink

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pink - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ipnk2pikn2pinkk1pinnk1pnik2ppink1
Edit distance from "pink"

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 "pink"?
"pink" is spelled P-I-N-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɪŋk/.
What does "pink" mean?
As a noun, "pink" means: A color reminiscent of pinks, the flowers.
What words are commonly confused with "pink"?
"pink" is commonly confused with "PK", "pit", "pun". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pink"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pink" is /ˈpɪŋk/. 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 "pink"?
Origin uncertain; perhaps from Dutch pinken (“blink”) or the English verb pink from the same source. Perhaps from the notion of the petals being pinked. An earlier word for similar flesh-like colors, mostly displaced by pink, was incarnation. 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 "pink", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

grab#2,896tall#2,921lets#2,952lock#2,954

Similar misspelling depth

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

bills6 variantsballs6 variantstries6 variantsputs6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list