plunk
/plʌŋk/noun, adverb, interjection, verb
plunk is spelled P-L-U-N-K: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 83,271st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, plunk means “A brief, dull sound, such as the sound of a string of a stringed instrument being plucked, or the thud of something landing on a surface” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of plunk is plunks.
How many letters and syllables are in plunk?
| Letters | 5: P-L-U-N-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 8 million words; the 83,271st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is plunk?
Plunk appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 83,271st 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 plunk?
- US /plʌŋk/
Plunk has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-plunk.wav, En-au-plunk.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with plunk?
8 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as plunk from its last stressed vowel (/ʌŋk/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of plunk
- plunks plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- plunking participle, present
- plunked participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does plunk mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A brief, dull sound, such as the sound of a string of a stringed instrument being plucked, or the thud of something landing on a surface.
- 2
informalA (heavy) blow or hit.
- 3
USarchaicobsoleteslangA dollar.
- 4
obsoleterareslangA large sum of money.
adverb
- 1
informalWith a brief, dull sound, such as the thud of something landing on a surface.
- 2
informalDirectly, exactly, precisely.
interjection
- 1
informalOften reduplicated: used to represent a brief, dull sound, such as the sound of a string of a stringed instrument being plucked, or the thud of something landing on a surface.
verb
- 1
informalTo move (something) with a sudden push.
- 2
informalChiefly followed by down or out: to pay (money); to plank.
- 3
informalTo pluck and quickly release (a string of a stringed instrument); also, to play (a stringed instrument) by plucking strings; to play (a piano, etc.) by striking keys; or, to play (a note or tune) on such an instrument.
- 4
informalOften followed by down: to drop, set, or throw (something, or oneself) abruptly and/or heavily into or on to a surface or some other thing, making a dull sound; to plump.
Enrique plunked his money down on the counter with a sigh and bellied up to the bar.
- 5
USinformalTo hit or injure (someone or something); also, to shoot (someone or something) with a firearm.
- 6
USinformalTo pitch a ball in a way that it hits (a player).
The Braves retaliated by plunking Harper in the next inning.
- 7
informalTo make a brief, dull sound, such as the thud of something landing on a surface; to thud.
- 8
informalFollowed by for: to choose, to opt; to plump.
- 9
ScotlandinformalTo be absent from (school) without permission; to be a truant.
- 10
ScotlandinformalTo play truant.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does plunk come from?
Onomatopoeic; the noun is attested earlier than the verb. Noun etymology 1, noun sense 3 (“dollar; large sum of money”) may refer to the sound of a coin hitting a surface. Compare plonk, plink. As regards verb etymology 1, verb sense 1.4 (“(transitive) to drop, set, or throw (something, or oneself) abruptly and/or heavily”) and etymology 1, verb sense 2.4 (“(intransitive) to drop, land, or set abruptly and/or heavily”), compare French plonquer (Picardy), a variant of plonger (“to plunge”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).