From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishinklingink‧ling /ˈɪŋklɪŋ/ noun [countable usually singular] IDEAa slight idea about something → suspicion I had an inkling that she was pregnant.inkling of She had absolutely no inkling of what was going on.
Examples from the Corpus
had an inkling• Perhaps he also had an inkling of an altogether more thorough-going solution.• It was as though he had an inkling who it would be.• He had an inkling he was the only one who could decipher the code.• He had an inkling that Jos would have an answer for that too.• I had an inkling that he had gone to Los Angeles.• Nutty had an inkling, but couldn't believe it.• None of the players had an inkling.• I think she, too, had an inkling.Origin inkling (1500-1600) Probably from inkle “to say quietly, hint” ((1300-1400)) 