Updated date:

Jun 29, 2015

Hink Pinks

Author:: Jimmie Quick

Word Play Plus Reference Skills in One Lesson Plan

You can create hink pinks as part of your language arts lesson or just for the sheer fun of playing with words. What is a hink pink? And what about a hinky pinky or a hinkety pinkety?

Try these as examples:

Hink Pink

Q. What is a sham cobra?

A. a fake snake!

Hinky Pinky

Q. What is a fantastic detective?

A. a super snooper!

Hinkety Pinkety

Q. What is a frozen vehicle?

A. an icicle tricycle.

Do you see the pattern? Each riddle is a set of two rhyming words with a clue. One syllable sets are hink pinks. Two syllable sets are hinky pinkies. Three syllable sets are hinkety pinketies. They are fun to solve, and they are fun to create!

So what's a smashed fedora? Yes, A FLAT HAT.

Learn Vocabulary and Rhyme with Hink Pinks

Introduce hink pinks to your children. Give them a few examples. Try some online hink pinks or a free printable worksheet or two.

Enjoy the fun word play and then make your own hink pinks. Here's how to go about it.

STEP ONE: Think of two rhyming words that can go together in a phrase. Don't worry if the combination is ridiculous; that makes it fun! You can use a rhyming dictionary to find words too. Write down your two word phrase. Make sure that the combination is the same number of syllables.

example -- spare chair

Would you like a convenient handout with these steps for making hink pinks? Just click here for hink pink worksheet.

STEP TWO: Now make your clue. Think of a different way to express the two terms in your phrase. Using a thesaurus is helpful for finding synonyms to make your clue.

so how about an extra seat?

STEP THREE: Now put the two parts together, and your hink pink is finished:

An extra seat?

SPARE CHAIR

Once you know how to make hink pinks, you can create your own puzzle pages and board games. Look in the freebies below where there are printable templates to use for hink pink games.

So what's a hair piece for a hog? Yes, A PIG WIG.

Rhyming Dictionary - An Essential Tool For Creating Hink Pinks

Thesaurus (paperback) - For Writing Clues to Your Hink Pinks

Online Rhyming Dictionaries - Find a Rhyming Pair for your Hinky Pinky

Word Central from Merriam-Webster
Click on RHYMING when you put a word into the search box.
Rhyme Zone
Besides searching for rhymes, this engine gives you synonyms, antonyms, and even places where Shakespeare used the word.
Rhymer
Input a word and get rhyming options.

Online Thesaurus - Choose Synonyms for Your Clues

Merriam-Webster's Word Central
This site offers your choice of Dictionary, Thesaurus, or Rhyming for any word you enter. It's designed especially for children.
Thesaurus.Com
This search engine provides a LOT of information, so a younger child may need help sorting it all out.

Want More Hink Pinks and Hinky Pinkies?

a bashful insect?
a shy fly
an elated father?
happy pappy
a reptile snowstorm?
a lizard blizzard
an evil pastor?
a sinister minister

Printable Hink Pinks, Hinky Pinkies, and Hinkety Pinketies - Worksheets, Puzzles, and Games

MUST DOWNLOAD! Vocabulary Builders -- Hink Pinks and More
Go to page three of this long word play file. You'll see a printable hink pink board game for two players. There are also templates for creating your own game with the hink pinks, hinky pinkies, and hinkety pinketies that you create. This is a fantas
Hink Pinks with a Christmas Presents Theme
Only seven, but they are quite fun.
Easy Hink Pinks
First in a set of five. Ten hink pinks to solve. Page two has the answers. Look for four more PDF hink pink worksheets here.
Hig Pig Word Game
Play online with this interactive game. It's a bit hard, though, since you have to type the answer exactly in order to get it correct. Nevertheless, it's a good introduction to hink pinks.

Hink Pink the Board Game!

A Visitor Who Leaves Feedback? - BEST GUEST

anonymous on January 26, 2013:

@anonymous: Could it be a Harsh Marsh??? !!!!

anonymous on November 08, 2012:

What is a rough and unpleasant swamp

anonymous on March 12, 2012:

What is a typewriter that grows on a tree?

A ripe-type!

anonymous on October 13, 2011:

What is an animal and a bonet???

A rats hat.

GrowWear on May 20, 2011:

@MargoPArrowsmith: Hear, hear! Jimmie's work is above par. I have never experienced a home-school environment, but I can tell that Jimmie's homeschool work here is the way it "should" be for students. Don't see why she can't share "and" sell. ...Maybe she already does. :D ...Kudos for Lensmaster Jimmie.

anonymous on January 06, 2011:

@anonymous: Could it be a wine mine?

anonymous on January 05, 2011:

What about . . . A cave where spirits are sold? Please help me figure it out. Thanks!

MargoPArrowsmith on December 18, 2010:

I hope you are thinking about selling your lesson plans. I know you like to share and I applaud that, but you also have an amazing business here.

WorldVisionary on December 12, 2010:

I've never heard of these! So much fun...

julieannbrady on December 08, 2010:

Ah, what fun oh my! i.e., Hinkety Pinkety What is a frozen vehicle? ... er, An icicle tricycle. Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas my dear.

anonymous on November 01, 2010:

A limping ghoul?