spunk
/spʌŋk/noun, verb
spunk is spelled S-P-U-N-K: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,663rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, spunk means “Touchwood; tinder” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of spunk is spunks.
How many letters and syllables are in spunk?
| Letters | 5: S-P-U-N-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 43,663rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is spunk?
Spunk appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,663rd 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 spunk?
- /spʌŋk/
Spunk 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: En-us-spunk.ogg, En-au-spunk.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of spunk
- spunks plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- spunking participle, present
- spunked participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does spunk mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
obsoleteA spark.
- 2
Touchwood; tinder.
- 3
UKobsoleteSynonym of taper, a thin stick used for transferring flames, especially a sulfur match.
At present, her only means of procuring subsistence for herself and children, is by making spunks or matches, which, either she or her eldest child, a girl about six years of age, sells from door to door.
- 4
ScotlandobsoleteSynonym of match, a thin chemically-treated stick used for creating flames.
... the old sulphur match was intended, not to produce fire, but to convey fire from the tinder to the candle... The vernacular name for sulphur matches was "spunks", and even in some of the country districts of Scotland the name has descen
- 5
Courage; spirit; mettle; determination.
- 6
AustraliaUKslangAn attractive person; a good-looker.
- 7
UKslangvulgarSemen.
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo catch fire; flame up.
- 2
slangvulgarTo ejaculate.
He spunked into the condom.
- 3
slangvulgarTo waste (money etc.).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Spunk in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | entrain, vivacité, vitalité , foutre |
| German | Courage, Mumm , Soße, Wichse, Saft , heißer Typ |
| Portuguese | porra, esporra, gozo, gala , gato |
| Spanish | guaperas, churro, guapetón |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does spunk come from?
1530, blend of spark + funk (obsolete, “spark”). Funk (“spark, touchwood”) is from Middle English funke, fonke (“spark”), from Old English *funca (“spark”), from Proto-West Germanic *funkō, from Proto-Germanic *funkô (“spark”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peng- (“to shine”), and is akin to Middle Low German funke, fanke (“spark”), Middle Dutch vonke (“spark”), Old High German funcho, funko (“spark”), German Funke (“spark”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).