How to pronounce wink
Say it like WINGK. Wink is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce wink. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- WINGK
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Wink pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- WINGKSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of wink
American and British speakers say wink in essentially the same way: /wɪŋk/ in the US and /wɪŋk/ in the UK.
British respelling: WINGK.
What does wink mean?
- signal by winking“She winked at him”
- gleam or glow intermittently“The lights were flashing”
- briefly shut the eyes“The TV announcer never seems to blink”
- a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)“if I had the chance I'd do it in a flash”
- closing one eye quickly as a signal
- a reflex that closes and opens the eyes rapidly
Where does wink come from?
From Middle English wynken, from Old English wincian (“to wink, make a sign, close the eyes, blink”, weak verb), from Proto-West Germanic *winkōn (“to close one's eyes”), from Proto-Indo-European *weng- (“to bow, bend, arch, curve”).
Words that rhyme with wink
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of wink.
Questions about saying wink
How do you pronounce wink?
Say WINGK. The American pronunciation is /wɪŋk/. In British English it is /wɪŋk/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in wink?
Wink is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: WINGK.
Do Americans and Brits say wink the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /wɪŋk/ and the British form is /wɪŋk/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.