# twink

> English word · Verb · IPA /twɪŋk/ · frequency rank #31,807

## Definitions
1. To twinkle; to sparkle.
2. To wink.

## Etymology
From Middle English twinken, twynken, from Old English *twincian (“to wink; twinkle”), from Proto-West Germanic *twinkōn, from Proto-Germanic *twinkōną, an augmented form (with formative *-kōną; see English -k) of Proto-Germanic *twint- (“to twinkle”). Cognate with Middle High German zwinken, zwingen, modern German zwinkern (“to wink; twinkle”), Middle Dutch twinc (“a blink”), Middle High German zwinzen, zwinzern (“to blink, blink hard”).

## Easily confused with
- **twit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/twink-vs-twit)
- **twist** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/twink-vs-twist)
- **twins** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/twink-vs-twins)
- **tying** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/twink-vs-tying)
- **twirl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/twink-vs-twirl)
- **twinkle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/twink-vs-twinkle)
- **tin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tin-vs-twink)
- **tik** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tik-vs-twink)
- **tiny** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tiny-vs-twink)
- **tank** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tank-vs-twink)
- **thin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thin-vs-twink)
- **twin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/twin-vs-twink)
- **tick** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tick-vs-twink)
- **Tina** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tina-vs-twink)
- **ting** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ting-vs-twink)
- **tint** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tint-vs-twink)
- **twig** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/twig-vs-twink)
- **tink** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tink-vs-twink)
- **tine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tine-vs-twink)
- **tonk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tonk-vs-twink)

## Common misspellings (8)
`tiwnk`, `ttwink`, `twikn`, `twinkk`, `twinnk`, `twnik`, `twwink`, `wtink`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/twink