wick

/wɪk/

//wɪk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“wick” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,737. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,737
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - 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, ...

Corpus desk

Index EN-wick · wick · English

wick · rank #18,737 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,737
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH worldly

Nearest frequency peer: worldly (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “wick”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “wick” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

wick vs win
50% similar
wick vs wit
50% similar
wick vs Wii
25% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for wick
PropertyValue
Headwordwick
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/wɪk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#18,737
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “wick”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).wicklands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “worldly” (#18,738), “watered” (#18,735), “washer” (#18,734). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “wick” is #18,737. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around wick (IPA /wɪk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,737 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for wick, with forms such as "iwck", "wcik", and "wicck". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "win", "wit", "Wii", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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… The correct English form is wick, spelled W-I-C-K.

Definition

  1. 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.
  2. 2
    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.
  3. 3
    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.
  4. 4
    Often in dip one's wick: the penis.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how wick appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Trim the wick fairly short, so that the flame does not smoke.
  2. Theſe cordes, they caule Cabuia and Henequen, which are al one thing ſauyng that Henequen is leſſe and of a fyner ſubſtaunce as it were line: And the other is groſſer lyke the wycke or twyſte of hempe, and is imperfecte in compariſon to the other.

Etymology

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 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. cognates * Dutch wiek (“wick; wing; blade, propeller”) * German Wieche (“wick; wisp”) * Swedish veke (“wick”) * West Frisian wjok, wjuk (“wing”)

This word in other languages

mecha(Español)mèche(Français)Docht(Deutsch)mecha(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iwck
  • wcik
  • wicck
  • wickk
  • wikc
  • wwick

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of wick - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

iwck2wcik2wicck1wickk1wikc2wwick1
Edit distance from "wick"

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 "wick"?
"wick" is spelled W-I-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /wɪk/.
What does "wick" mean?
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 up a liquid fuel (such as melted tallow or wax, ...
What words are commonly confused with "wick"?
"wick" is commonly confused with "win", "wit", "Wii". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "wick"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wick" is /wɪk/. 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 "wick"?
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 ... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "wick", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

viva#18,732alba#18,753anon#18,756ante#18,757

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

swam6 variantsslew6 variantssheen6 variantsdoggy6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list