tink

/tɪŋk/

//tɪŋk// verb

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

"tink" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tink” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,928. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,928
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To emit a high-pitched sharp or metallic noise.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tink · tink · English

tink · rank #40,928 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #40,928
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tightrope

Nearest frequency peer: tightrope (-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 “tink”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tink” 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).

tink vs TN
0% similar
tink vs TK
0% similar
tink vs tip
50% similar

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

Key facts for tink
PropertyValue
Headwordtink
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/tɪŋk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#40,928
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tink”

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).tinklands 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 “tightrope” (#40,927), “toasty” (#40,929), “thot” (#40,926). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tink” is #40,928. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around tink (IPA /tɪŋk/), averb. Corpus frequency is #40,928 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Dominant gloss: "To emit a high-pitched sharp or metallic noise.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for tink, with forms such as "itnk", "tikn", and "tinkk". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "TN", "TK", "tip", 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 tinken, possibly from Old English *tincian, equivalent to tin + -k. Compare Dutch tinken (“to tink, toll, strike the bells of a clock”), German Low German tinken (“to tink”). Compare also English ting. The correct English form is tink, spelled T-I-N-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    To emit a high-pitched sharp or metallic noise.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Jimmy heard the bells tink.

Etymology

From Middle English tinken, possibly from Old English *tincian, equivalent to tin + -k. Compare Dutch tinken (“to tink, toll, strike the bells of a clock”), German Low German tinken (“to tink”). Compare also English ting.

Synonyms

tinkle

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • itnk
  • tikn
  • tinkk
  • tinnk
  • tnik
  • ttink

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

itnk2tikn2tinkk1tinnk1tnik2ttink1
Edit distance from "tink"

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 "tink"?
"tink" is spelled T-I-N-K. The IPA pronunciation is /tɪŋk/.
What does "tink" mean?
As a verb, "tink" means: To emit a high-pitched sharp or metallic noise.
What words are commonly confused with "tink"?
"tink" is commonly confused with "TN", "TK", "tip". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tink"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tink" is /tɪŋk/. 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 "tink"?
From Middle English tinken, possibly from Old English *tincian, equivalent to tin + -k. Compare Dutch tinken (“to tink, toll, strike the bells of a clock”), German Low German tinken (“to tink”). Compare also English ting. 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 "tink", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

thot#40,926tern#40,923vila#40,956WaPo#40,965

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

wimp6 variantspissy6 variantsoutdo6 variantscham6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list