Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cranky

/kɹæːnki/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.15 in modern English

Syllables: cran-ky
IPA: /kɹæːnki/

15

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Not in good working condition; defective, faulty.

adj

Grouchy, grumpy, irritable; easily upset.

adj

Not in perfect mental working order; eccentric, peculiar.

adj

Synonym of crank (“of a ship: liable to capsize because of poorly stowed cargo or insufficient ballast”).

adj

Full of spirit; spirited.

Archaic

adj

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"We had seven canoes, all of them dugouts. One was small, one was cranky, and two were old, waterlogged, and leaky. The other three were good."
"Margaret Cerullo gave a rousing speech, despite the pesky interruptions of a cranky sound system."
"He got home from a long day at work tired and cranky."
"Uncle Esau is as cranky as hell, and a peculiar old duck, but I think he'll like a fine upstanding young man as big as you be."
"a cranky vessel"

Etymology

From crank + -y. Compare Middle Low German krankich (“sickly, unwell”).

Word Breakdown

Suffix: crank

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /kɹæːnki/
British English: /kɹænki/

Usage

Inflected Forms

crankier (comparative) crankiest (superlative)

Derived Forms

crankily crankiness

Synonyms

shaky crank fractious irritable nettlesome peevish peckish pettish petulant scratchy testy tetchy

Rhymes With

frankie yankee lanky sankey hanky hankey francie yankey swanky spanky skanky janky

Questions

How do you pronounce cranky?: The recorded pronunciation is /kɹæːnki/.
What does cranky mean?: Not in good working condition; defective, faulty.
Where does cranky come from?: From crank + -y. Compare Middle Low German krankich (“sickly, unwell”).

How to pronounce cranky

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “cranky”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/kɹæːnki/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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