Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

yonks

/jɒŋks/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.67 in modern English

Syllables: yonks
IPA: /jɒŋks/

12

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A long time (especially a longer time than expected); ages

British usage; Slang

Example Sentences

"Haven’t seen him in yonks!"
"I’ve been a teacher for yonks–I should really try another career."
"This egg is taking yonks to boil."
"I rang singer Julie Driscoll […] She said: "I haven't heard from you for yonks[…]""
"Alas, the comics for that age group have nearly all picture stories today—and of course the ones for younger readers have been that way for yonks (sorry, years)."
"It's what Miss Brunskill calls ‘our little backwater’. We're more or less fixtures there and have been for yonks."

Etymology

Unknown. First seen in print around 1960. One theory is that it comes from donkey's ears; another is that it is an abbreviation of years, months and weeks.

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /jɒŋks/

Usage

British usage
Slang

Rhymes With

bronx conchs

Questions

How do you pronounce yonks?: The recorded pronunciation is /jɒŋks/.
What does yonks mean?: A long time (especially a longer time than expected); ages
Where does yonks come from?: Unknown. First seen in print around 1960. One theory is that it comes from donkey's ears; another is that it is an abbreviation of years, months and weeks.

How to pronounce yonks

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