Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tonka

/tˈɑŋkə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.35 in modern English

Syllables: ton-ka
IPA: /tˈɑŋkə/

9

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A flavoring or fragrance used in foodstuffs and perfumes, derived from the tonka bean which contains coumarin.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"When grated into desserts or infused into syrups, they impart a flavour so transcendent, tonka has been dubbed the most delicious ingredient you’ve never heard of."
"Her favourite combinations involve pine, boletus mushroom and sake, or celery, tonka and amber ale."
"The word tonka is taken from the Galibi (Carib) tongue spoken by natives of French Guayana; it also appears in Tupi, another language of the same region, as the name of the tree."

Etymology

Likely from Guyanese Creole English tonka, from a Tupian language, perhaps Kari'na tonka.

Word Breakdown

Root: tonka

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

tonca (alternative) tonqua (alternative) tonquin (alternative)

Rhymes With

bianca

Questions

How do you pronounce tonka?: The recorded pronunciation is /tˈɑŋkə/.
What does tonka mean?: A flavoring or fragrance used in foodstuffs and perfumes, derived from the tonka bean which contains coumarin.
Where does tonka come from?: Likely from Guyanese Creole English tonka, from a Tupian language, perhaps Kari'na tonka.

How to pronounce tonka

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “tonka”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/tˈɑŋkə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “tonka”.
Repeat and practice — Say “tonka” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.