stink

/stɪŋk/

//stɪŋk// verb

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

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

The verdict

“stink” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,922. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,922
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To have a strong bad smell.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stink · stink · English

stink · rank #15,922 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,922
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH statesman

Nearest frequency peer: statesman (-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 “stink”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “stink” 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).

stink vs stir
60% similar
stink vs sunk
60% similar
stink vs stun
60% similar

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

Key facts for stink
PropertyValue
Headwordstink
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/stɪŋk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#15,922
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “stink”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).stinklands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “statesman” (#15,921), “stormy” (#15,923), “standings” (#15,920). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “stink” is #15,922. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around stink (IPA /stɪŋk/), averb. Corpus frequency is #15,922 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for stink, with forms such as "sitnk", "sstink", and "stikn". 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. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "stir", "sunk", "stun", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English stinken, from Old English stincan, from Proto-Germanic *stinkwaną, from Proto-Indo-European *stengʷ-, *stegʷ- (“to push, thrust, strike”). Cognate with West Frisian stjonke (“to stink”), Dutch stinken (“to stink”), German stinken (“to st… The correct English form is stink, spelled S-T-I-N-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    To have a strong bad smell.
  2. 2
    To be greatly inferior; to perform badly.
  3. 3
    To give an impression of dishonesty, untruth, or sin.
  4. 4
    To cause to stink; to affect by a stink.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. That movie stinks. I didn't even stay for the end.
  2. They gave me Out of Africa, by Isak Dinesen. I thought it was going to stink, but it didn't. It was a very good book.

Etymology

From Middle English stinken, from Old English stincan, from Proto-Germanic *stinkwaną, from Proto-Indo-European *stengʷ-, *stegʷ- (“to push, thrust, strike”). Cognate with West Frisian stjonke (“to stink”), Dutch stinken (“to stink”), German stinken (“to stink”), Danish stinke (“to stink”), Swedish stinka (“to stink”), Icelandic stökkva (“to spring, leap, jump”).

Synonyms

pongreeksuckblowbe fishy

This word in other languages

heder(Español)puer(Français)stinken(Deutsch)feder(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sitnk
  • sstink
  • stikn
  • stinkk
  • stinnk
  • stnik
  • sttink
  • tsink

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of stink - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

sitnk2sstink1stikn2stinkk1stinnk1stnik2sttink1tsink2
Edit distance from "stink"

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 "stink"?
"stink" is spelled S-T-I-N-K. The IPA pronunciation is /stɪŋk/.
What does "stink" mean?
As a verb, "stink" means: To have a strong bad smell.
What words are commonly confused with "stink"?
"stink" is commonly confused with "stir", "sunk", "stun". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stink"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stink" is /stɪŋk/. 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 "stink"?
From Middle English stinken, from Old English stincan, from Proto-Germanic *stinkwaną, from Proto-Indo-European *stengʷ-, *stegʷ- (“to push, thrust, strike”). Cognate with West Frisian stjonke (“to stink”), Dutch stinken (“to stink”), German stink... 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 "stink", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

stalk#15,919swine#15,928snowy#15,913smear#15,912

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

suffice8 variantsslater8 variantssesame8 variantsRihanna8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list