sleek

/sliːk/

//sliːk// adj

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

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

The verdict

“sleek” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,696. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,696
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having an even, smooth surface; smooth

Corpus desk

Index EN-sleek · sleek · English

sleek · rank #18,696 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,696
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH slander

Nearest frequency peer: slander (-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 “sleek”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sleek” 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).

sleek vs slew
60% similar
sleek vs sleep
80% similar
sleek vs speak
60% similar

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

Key facts for sleek
PropertyValue
Headwordsleek
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/sliːk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#18,696
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sleek”

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).sleeklands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “slander” (#18,695), “slew” (#18,697), “sinful” (#18,694). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sleek” is #18,696. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around sleek (IPA /sliːk/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #18,696 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for sleek, with forms such as "lseek", "selek", and "sleekk". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "slew", "sleep", "speak", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: A late variant of slick; cognate to German schleichen (Old High German slihhan) and Dutch slijk (“mud, slime”). Compare slink. The correct English form is sleek, spelled S-L-E-E-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having an even, smooth surface; smooth
  2. 2
    Glossy.
  3. 3
    Not rough or harsh.
  4. 4
    Slim and streamlined; not plump, thick, or stocky.
  5. 5
    Healthy, well-fed and well-groomed; in good condition.
  6. 6
    Dated form of slick (“convincing but untrustworthy”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. So sleek her skin, so faultless was her make.
  2. Those rugged names to our like mouths grow sleek.

Etymology

A late variant of slick; cognate to German schleichen (Old High German slihhan) and Dutch slijk (“mud, slime”). Compare slink.

This word in other languages

liso(Español)brillant(Français)glatt(Deutsch)suave(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lseek
  • selek
  • sleekk
  • slek
  • sleke
  • slleek
  • ssleek

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sleek - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

lseek2selek2sleekk1slek1sleke2slleek1ssleek1
Edit distance from "sleek"

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 "sleek"?
"sleek" is spelled S-L-E-E-K. The IPA pronunciation is /sliːk/.
What does "sleek" mean?
As an adjective, "sleek" means: Having an even, smooth surface; smooth
What words are commonly confused with "sleek"?
"sleek" is commonly confused with "slew", "sleep", "speak". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sleek"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sleek" is /sliːk/. 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 "sleek"?
A late variant of slick; cognate to German schleichen (Old High German slihhan) and Dutch slijk (“mud, slime”). Compare slink. 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 "sleek", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

sling#18,698sheen#18,690shalt#18,689studs#18,705

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

regal7 variantsprima7 variantspebble7 variantsadept7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list