stinky
/ˈstɪŋki/adjective, noun
stinky is spelled S-T-I-N-K-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,745th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, stinky means “Having a strong, unpleasant smell; stinking” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in stinky?
| Letters | 6: S-T-I-N-K-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 24,745th 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 stinky?
Stinky appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,745th 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 stinky?
- /ˈstɪŋki/
Stinky has 2 syllables (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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-stinky.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of stinky
- stinkier comparative
- more stinky comparative
- stinkiest superlative
- most stinky superlative
- stimky
- stonky
- stinkies plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does stinky mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having a strong, unpleasant smell; stinking.
What is that stinky smell?
- 2
informalBad, undesirable.
noun
- 1
A bowel movement; feces or diarrhoea
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Stinky in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense having a strong, unpleasant smell:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | puant, fétide, malodorant |
| German | stinkend, stinkig |
| Portuguese | fedorento, fedido, malcheiroso, morrinhento, catinguento, fétido |
| Spanish | hediondo, fétido, apestoso, maloliente, jediondo |
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 stinky come from?
From Middle English stinky, stynky, equivalent to stink + -y. Compare Dutch stinkig (“stinky, foul, rotten”), Low German stinkig (“stinking, stinky”), German stinkig (“stinky”), Hunsrik stinkich. Compare also Saterland Frisian stjunkerch (“stinky”), West Frisian stjonkerich (“stinky”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).