plunk

/plʌŋk/

//plʌŋk// noun

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

"plunk" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“plunk” is uncommon English (frequency #83,631 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#83,631
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 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.

Corpus desk

Index EN-plunk · plunk · English

plunk · rank #83,631 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #83,631
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH plumed

Nearest frequency peer: plumed (-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 “plunk”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for plunk
PropertyValue
Headwordplunk
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/plʌŋk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#83,631
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “plunk” in English

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).plunkfalls 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: “plumed” (#83,630), “Polito” (#83,633), “plasmon” (#83,628). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “plunk” is #83,631. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

plunk is uncommon English at frequency #83,631 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /plʌŋk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

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

  1. 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. 2
    A (heavy) blow or hit.
  3. 3
    A dollar.
  4. 4
    A large sum of money.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They listened and could hear the steady plunk, plunk of an axe somewhere far above them.
  2. Den I gives him a five-plunk piece, and he gins me the shange.

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

How do you spell "plunk"?
"plunk" is spelled P-L-U-N-K. The IPA pronunciation is /plʌŋk/.
What does "plunk" mean?
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.
How do you pronounce "plunk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "plunk" is /plʌŋk/. 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 "plunk"?
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 (some... 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 "plunk", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Pryde#83,647ROSCO#83,689Safar#83,703Mucha#83,539

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list