plunk
/plʌŋk/
"plunk" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“plunk” is an uncommon English word, ranked #83,631 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #83,631
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - 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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | plunk |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /plʌŋk/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #83,631 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “plunk” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for plunk is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /plʌŋk/. Corpus data places it at rank #83,631 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No generated misspelling entries exist for plunk in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Onomatopoeic; the noun is attested earlier than the verb. Noun etymology 1 sense 3 (“dollar; large sum of money”) may refer to the sound of a coin hitting a surface. As regards verb etymology 1 sense 1.4 (“(transitive) to drop, set, or throw (something, or … The correct English form is plunk, spelled P-L-U-N-K.
Definition
- 1A 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.
- 2A (heavy) blow or hit.
- 3A dollar.
- 4A large sum of money.
Etymology
Onomatopoeic; the noun is attested earlier than the verb. Noun etymology 1 sense 3 (“dollar; large sum of money”) may refer to the sound of a coin hitting a surface. As regards verb etymology 1 sense 1.4 (“(transitive) to drop, set, or throw (something, or oneself) abruptly and/or heavily”) and etymology 1 sense 2.4 (“(intransitive) to drop, land, or set abruptly and/or heavily”), compare French plonquer (Picardy), a variant of plonger (“to plunge”).
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
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Using “plunk”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-L-U-N-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /plʌŋk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.