tonka
"tonka" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“tonka” is uncommon English (frequency #63,314 among 27,828 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #63,314
- frequency rank, English
- 27,828
- “T” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A flavoring or fragrance used in foodstuffs and perfumes, derived from the tonka bean which contains coumarin.
Corpus desk
Index EN-tonka · tonka · English
tonka · rank #63,314 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #63,314
- LEN-MID 5 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 27,828
- PHOTO-FINISH tonsil
Nearest frequency peer: tonsil (+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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “tonka”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- tillage
tillage
36,692 corpus weight
- timidly
timidly
36,691 corpus weight
- titling
titling
36,690 corpus weight
- tonka
tonka
36,687 corpus weight
- tonsil
tonsil
36,686 corpus weight
- touchline
touchline
36,685 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “tonka” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | tonka |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #63,314 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “tonka” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
tonka is uncommon English at frequency #63,314 among 27,828 “T” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A flavoring or fragrance used in foodstuffs and perfumes, derived from the tonka bean which contains coumarin.".
No misspelling variants are generated for tonka in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: Likely from Guyanese Creole English tonka, from a Tupian language, perhaps Kari'na tonka. The correct English form is tonka, spelled T-O-N-K-A.
Definition
- 1A flavoring or fragrance used in foodstuffs and perfumes, derived from the tonka bean which contains coumarin.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how tonka appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
When grated into desserts or infused into syrups, they impart a flavour so transcendent, tonka has been dubbed the most delicious ingredient you’ve never heard of.
Her favourite combinations involve pine, boletus mushroom and sake, or celery, tonka and amber ale.
Etymology
Likely from Guyanese Creole English tonka, from a Tupian language, perhaps Kari'na tonka.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "tonka", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.