welk

/wɛlk/

//wɛlk// verb

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

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

The verdict

“welk” is uncommon English (frequency #97,708 among 12,113 “W” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#97,708
frequency rank, English
12,113
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of a plant: to wither, wilt, decay.

Key facts for welk
PropertyValue
Headwordwelk
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/wɛlk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#97,708
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “welk” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). welk lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

welk is uncommon English at frequency #97,708 among 12,113 “W” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /wɛlk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for welk in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English welken, probably from a continental Germanic language; compare Middle Dutch welken (Dutch welken) and Middle Low German welken. Cognate with German welken. Ultimately, from Proto-West Germanic *wilkijan (“to become soft”), from Proto-Ger… The correct English form is welk, spelled W-E-L-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of a plant: to wither, wilt, decay.
  2. 2
    To diminish; to lose brightness, to wane.
  3. 3
    to soak, steep.
  4. 4
    to thrash, beat severely.
  5. 5
    To contract; to shorten.
  6. 6
    To form into wrinkles or ridges.

Etymology

From Middle English welken, probably from a continental Germanic language; compare Middle Dutch welken (Dutch welken) and Middle Low German welken. Cognate with German welken. Ultimately, from Proto-West Germanic *wilkijan (“to become soft”), from Proto-Germanic *welkaz (“soft, withered”), according to Kluge, related to *wulkną (“cloud”). Compare also Old English wealwian (“to fade, wither”), Old English wlacu (“tepid, lukewarm”).

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 "welk"?
"welk" is spelled W-E-L-K. The IPA pronunciation is /wɛlk/.
What does "welk" mean?
As a verb, "welk" means: Of a plant: to wither, wilt, decay.
How do you pronounce "welk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "welk" is /wɛlk/. 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 "welk"?
From Middle English welken, probably from a continental Germanic language; compare Middle Dutch welken (Dutch welken) and Middle Low German welken. Cognate with German welken. Ultimately, from Proto-West Germanic *wilkijan (“to become soft”), from... 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.

Using “welk”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is W-E-L-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /wɛlk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list