tinker
tin·ker/ˈtɪŋkɚ/noun, verb
tinker is spelled T-I-N-K-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables (tin·ker). It appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,101st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, tinker means “An itinerant tinsmith and mender of household utensils made of metal” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tinker is tinkers.
How many letters and syllables are in tinker?
| Letters | 6: T-I-N-K-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: tin·ker |
| In writing | 1.9 times per million words; the 20,101st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is tinker?
Tinker appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,101st 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 tinker?
- UK /ˈtɪŋkə/
- UK [ˈtʰɪŋkə]
- US /ˈtɪŋkɚ/
Tinker has 2 syllables, split tin·ker in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-tinker.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with tinker?
9 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as tinker from its last stressed vowel (/ɪŋkəɹ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of tinker
- tinkers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- tinkering participle, present
- tinkered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tinker mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An itinerant tinsmith and mender of household utensils made of metal.
- 2
IrelandUKdatedoffensiveA member of the Irish Traveller community or of other itinerant groups; a gypsy.
- 3
A mischievous person, especially a playful, impish youngster.
- 4
Someone who repairs, or attempts repair, on anything mechanical, or who invents such devices; one who tinkers; a tinkerer.
- 5
informalAn act of repair or invention.
I'll have a tinker and see what I can do.
- 6
obsoleteA hand mortar.
- 7
Any of various fish: chub mackerel, silverside, skate, or young mackerel about two years old.
- 8
A razor-billed auk, a bird of species (Alca torda).
verb
- 1
To work as a tinker.
- 2
To fiddle with something in an attempt to fix, mend or improve it, especially in an experimental or unskilled manner.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tinker in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Kesselflicker, Kesselflickerin , tüfteln, frickeln, basteln |
| French | bricoler, bidouiller, magouiller, traficoter, manipuler |
| Portuguese | ajeitar |
| Spanish | cacharrear, amañar, trastear |
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 tinker come from?
From Middle English tynkere, perhaps from Old English *tincere, from tin (“tin”) + *cere, as in bēocere (“beekeeper”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).