wick
/ˈwɪk/noun, verb, adjective
wick is spelled W-I-C-K: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, wick means “A braid or bundle of fibre or other porous material (now generally twisted or woven cotton) in a candle, kerosene heater, oil lamp, etc., that draws…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of wick is wicks.
How many letters and syllables are in wick?
| Letters | 4: W-I-C-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 2.2 times per million words; the 18,537th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is wick?
Wick appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th 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 wick?
- /ˈwɪk/
- /ˈwɘk/
Wick has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-wick.wav, En-au-wick.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with wick
Also written: wicked.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of wick
- wicks plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- wicking participle, present
- wicked participle, past
- wicker comparative
- more wick comparative
- wickest superlative
- most wick superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does wick mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A braid or bundle of fibre or other porous material (now generally twisted or woven cotton) in a candle, kerosene heater, oil lamp, etc., that draws up a liquid fuel (such as melted tallow or wax, or oil) at one end, to be ignited at the other end to produce a flame.
Trim the wick fairly short, so that the flame does not smoke.
- 2
Synonym of wicking (“the material of which wicks (etymology 1, noun sense 1) are made”).
- 3
Any piece of porous material that conveys liquid by capillary action; specifically (medicine), a strip of gauze placed in a wound, etc., to absorb fluids.
- 4
slangOften in dip one's wick: the penis.
- 5
A hamlet or village; also, a town.
- 6
A farm; specifically, a dairy farm.
- 7
obsoleteAn enclosed piece of land; a close.
- 8
UKA maggot.
- 9
UKThe growing part of a plant nearest to the roots.
Fed close? Why, it’s eaten into t’ hard wick.
- 10
UKThe part of the root of a weed that remains viable in the ground after inadequate digging prior to cultivation.
- 11
UKobsoleteLife; also, liveliness.
- 12
A shot where the played bowl or stone touches a stationary bowl or stone just enough that the former changes direction; a cannon.
- 13
Synonym of port (“a narrow opening between other players' bowls or stones wide enough for a delivered bowl or stone to pass through”).
- 14
ScotlandAn inlet, such as a creek or small bay.
- 15
A basket made of wickers (“flexible branches or twigs of a plant such as willow woven together”); a creel.
- 16
Wickers collectively; also, synonym of wickerwork (“wickers woven together”).
- 17
obsoleteA angle or corner; specifically, a corner of the eye or mouth.
- 18
obsoleteShort for wick-tooth (“a canine tooth”).
- 19
obsoleteA grove; also, a hollow.
verb
- 1
Of a material (especially a textile): to convey or draw off (liquid) by capillary action.
The fabric wicks perspiration away from the body.
- 2
Of a material: to convey or draw off liquid by capillary action.
- 3
Chiefly followed by through or up: of a liquid: to move by capillary action through a porous material.
The moisture slowly wicked through the wood.
- 4
To strike (a stationary bowl or stone) with one's own bowl or stone just enough that the former changes direction; to cannon.
- 5
To strike a stationary bowl or stone with one's own bowl or stone just enough that the former changes direction; to cannon.
adjective
- 1
Synonym of quick (“alive, living; also, active, lively”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Wick in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | mèche, mèche de bougie |
| German | Docht, Dacht, Kerzendocht |
| Portuguese | mecha, pavio |
| Spanish | matula, mecha, pabilo, pábilo, torcida , absorber |
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 wick come from?
The noun is derived from Middle English wek, weke, wicke (“fibrous cord drawing fuel to flame of a candle, etc.; material used to make this object”), from Old English wēoce (“wick”), from Proto-West Germanic *weukā (“flax bundle; wick”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *weg- (“to weave”). It has been suggested that noun etymology 1, noun sense 2 (“penis”) is derived from Hampton Wick, used as rhyming slang for prick. If so, that sense should be placed under etymology 2. The verb is derived from the noun.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).