sinkhole

/ˈsɪŋkˌhoʊl/

//ˈsɪŋkˌhoʊl// noun

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

"sinkhole" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sinkhole” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,091. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,091
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A hole formed in soluble rock by the action of water, serving to conduct surface water to an underground passage.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sinkhole · sinkhole · English

sinkhole · rank #39,091 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #39,091
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH singularly

Nearest frequency peer: singularly (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “sinkhole”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “sinkhole” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for sinkhole
PropertyValue
Headwordsinkhole
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɪŋkˌhoʊl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#39,091
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sinkhole” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).sinkholelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “singularly” (#39,090), “skimpy” (#39,092), “shriek” (#39,088). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around sinkhole (IPA /ˈsɪŋkˌhoʊl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #39,091 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for sinkhole, with forms such as "isnkhole", "siknhole", and "sinhkole". 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. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English sinkehole, sinkeholl, equivalent to sink + hole. The correct English form is sinkhole, spelled S-I-N-K-H-O-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A hole formed in soluble rock by the action of water, serving to conduct surface water to an underground passage.
  2. 2
    A depressed area in which waste or drainage collects.
  3. 3
    A hole in the playfield that rewards the player when the ball is guided into it.
  4. 4
    A domain name server that has been configured to hand out non-routeable addresses for all domains, so that every computer that uses it will fail to get access to the real website.
  5. 5
    An attack which redirects requests, whether network or memory accesses, to a new location defined by the attacker.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A sinkhole suddenly opened up beneath the track of a heavy freight route in the eastern United States. Golfers playing the 13th hole at Hartford, Connecticut, had a new obstacle to tackle: a section of track suspended in mid-air after heavy rainfall in the aftermath of Storm Ida.
  2. Pro Pinball is as authentic as pinball has ever been on the PC. It's all here, from the ramps, bumpers and sinkholes to the satisfying "clack" when you make the high-score list.

Etymology

From Middle English sinkehole, sinkeholl, equivalent to sink + hole.

This word in other languages

torca(Español)doline(Français)Doline(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • isnkhole
  • siknhole
  • sinhkole
  • sinkhhole
  • sinkhloe
  • sinkhoel
  • sinkholle
  • sinkkhole
  • sinkohle
  • sinnkhole
  • snikhole
  • ssinkhole

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sinkhole - 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.

isnkhole2siknhole2sinhkole2sinkhhole1sinkhloe2sinkhoel2sinkholle1sinkkhole1
Edit distance from "sinkhole"

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 "sinkhole"?
"sinkhole" is spelled S-I-N-K-H-O-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪŋkˌhoʊl/.
What does "sinkhole" mean?
As a noun, "sinkhole" means: A hole formed in soluble rock by the action of water, serving to conduct surface water to an underground passage.
What are common misspellings of "sinkhole"?
Common misspellings include "isnkhole", "siknhole", "sinhkole", "sinkhhole", "sinkhloe". The correct spelling is "sinkhole".
How do you pronounce "sinkhole"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sinkhole" is /ˈsɪŋkˌhoʊl/. 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 "sinkhole"?
From Middle English sinkehole, sinkeholl, equivalent to sink + hole. 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 "sinkhole", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

santorum#39,073Rumsfeld#39,070Strachan#39,112stretchy#39,117

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

sorceress12 variantsreinstall12 variantsSvetlana12 variantsVeracruz12 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "sinkhole". Here's where to go from here.

  • 12 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #39,091 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list