wonky
/ˈwɑŋ.ki/adjective, noun
wonky is spelled W-O-N-K-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,320th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, wonky means “Lopsided, misaligned or off-centre” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in wonky?
| Letters | 5: W-O-N-K-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 35,320th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is wonky?
Wonky appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,320th 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 wonky?
- UK /ˈwɒŋ.kɪ/
- US /ˈwɑŋ.ki/
- US /ˈwɔŋ.ki/
Wonky has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-wonky.ogg, En-au-wonky.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with wonky?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as wonky from its last stressed vowel (/ɑŋki/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of wonky
- wonkier comparative
- wonkiest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does wonky mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Lopsided, misaligned or off-centre.
- 2
AustraliaIrelandUKFeeble, shaky or rickety.
- 3
informalSuffering from intermittent bugs.
- 4
informalGenerally incorrect.
- 5
Technically worded, in the style of jargon.
- 6
Technical in nature, difficult for non-specialists to understand.
noun
- 1
A subgenre of electronic music employing unstable rhythms, complex time signatures, and mid-range synths.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Wonky in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense misaligned:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | chueco |
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 wonky come from?
From English dialectal wanky, alteration of Middle English wankel (“unstable, shaky”), from Old English wancol (“unstable”), from Proto-West Germanic *wankul (“swaying, shaky, unstable”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).