wince
/wɪns/noun, verb
wince is spelled W-I-N-C-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 46,473rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, wince means “A sudden movement or gesture of shrinking away” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of wince is winces.
How many letters and syllables are in wince?
| Letters | 5: W-I-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 46,473rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is wince?
Wince appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 46,473rd 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 wince?
- /wɪns/
Wince has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-wince.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of wince
- winces plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- wincing participle, present
- winced participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does wince mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A sudden movement or gesture of shrinking away.
- 2
A reel used in dyeing, steeping, or washing cloth; a winch. It is placed over the division wall between two wince pits so as to allow the cloth to descend into either compartment at will.
verb
- 1
To flinch as if in pain or distress.
- 2
To wash (cloth), dip it in dye, etc., with the use of a wince.
- 3
To kick or flounce when unsteady or impatient.
A horse winces.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Wince in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Zusammenzucken , zusammenzucken |
| French | grimacer |
| Spanish | hacer muecas, estremecerse, muequear de dolor |
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 wince come from?
From Middle English wyncen, from Anglo-Norman winchir (compare Old French guenchir), from Frankish *wankjan, related to *winkijan (“to flex, bend”). See also German winken.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).