Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

rank

/ˈɹeɪ̯ŋk/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.44 in modern English

Syllables
rank
IPA
/ˈɹeɪ̯ŋk/
8
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Strong; powerful; capable of acting or being used with great effect; energetic; vigorous; headstrong.

Obsolete

adj

Strong; powerful; capable of acting or being used with great effect; energetic; vigorous; headstrong.

Obsolete

adj

Strong; powerful; capable of acting or being used with great effect; energetic; vigorous; headstrong.

Obsolete

adj

Strong; powerful; capable of acting or being used with great effect; energetic; vigorous; headstrong.

Obsolete

adj

Strong; powerful; capable of acting or being used with great effect; energetic; vigorous; headstrong.

Informal; Obsolete

adj

Strong; powerful; capable of acting or being used with great effect; energetic; vigorous; headstrong.

Obsolete

adj

Having a very strong, bad taste or odor.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English rank (“strong, proud”), from Old English ranc (“proud, haughty, arrogant, insolent, forward, overbearing, showy, ostentatious, splendid, bold, valiant, noble, brave, strong, full-grown, mature”), from Proto-West Germanic *rank, from Proto-Germanic *rankaz (“straight”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“straight, direct”). Cognate with Dutch rank (“slender, slim”), Low German rank (“slender, projecting, lank”), Danish rank (“straight, erect, slender”), Swedish rank (“slender, shaky, wonky”), Icelandic rakkur (“straight, slender, bold, valiant”). The sense referring to taste or odor is possibly influenced by rancor.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *h₃reǵ-, rank, ranc, *rank, *rankaz, *hring

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈɹeɪ̯ŋk/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Synonyms

Antonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce rank?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɹeɪ̯ŋk/.
What does rank mean?
Strong; powerful; capable of acting or being used with great effect; energetic; vigorous; headstrong.
Where does rank come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce rank

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