winch
/wɪnt͡ʃ/noun, verb
winch is spelled W-I-N-C-H: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, winch means “A machine consisting of a drum on an axle, a friction brake or ratchet and pawl, and a crank handle or prime mover (often an electric or hydraulic…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of winch is winches.
How many letters and syllables are in winch?
| Letters | 5: W-I-N-C-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,462nd 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 winch?
Winch appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd 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 winch?
- /wɪnt͡ʃ/
Winch 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-winch.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of winch
- winches plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- winching participle, present
- winched participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does winch mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A machine consisting of a drum on an axle, a friction brake or ratchet and pawl, and a crank handle or prime mover (often an electric or hydraulic motor), with or without gearing, to give increased mechanical advantage when hoisting or hauling on a rope or cable.
- 2
A hoisting device used for loading or unloading cargo, or for pulling in lines.
- 3
A wince (machine used in dyeing or steeping cloth).
- 4
A kick, as of an animal, from impatience or uneasiness.
- 5
slangA witch.
verb
- 1
To use a winch
Winch in those sails, lad!
- 2
To wince; to shrink
- 3
To kick with impatience or uneasiness.
- 4
Scotlandcolloquialto court
- 5
Scotlandcolloquialto kiss, snog
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Winch in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | treuil , treuiller |
| German | Winde, Winsch , winden |
| Portuguese | molinete |
| Spanish | cabrestante, torno, cabestrante, argüe (disused), argue (disused), súcula |
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 winch come from?
From Middle English wynche, from Old English winċe, from Proto-Germanic *winkijǭ, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European *weng- (“to bow, bend, arch, curve”), whence also wink.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).