rank
German, adjective
rank is spelled R-A-N-K (4 letters) and appears 1.2 times per million words in written German, the 34,584th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Rank is a German adjective meaning “lithe, lissome” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is also a singular imperative of ranken. With a capital, Rank is a different word: “plot, machination, intrigue”. The German Wiktionary defines it as “dünn und geschmeidig, biegsam; heute fast nur noch in der Wendung rank und schlank”.
What does rank mean in English?
adjective
- 1
datedlithe, lissome
verb
- 1
singular imperative of ranken
noun
- 1
datedmasculineplot, machination, intrigue
- 2
masculinebend, curve (of a path, road, etc.)
- 3
Switzerlandmasculinetrick, ruse
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Intrigen, Listen, Machenschaften 2. Kurve, Wegkrümmung 3. Kniff, Trick
adjective: 1. dünn und geschmeidig, biegsam; heute fast nur noch in der Wendung rank und schlank
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of rank
- ranker masculine nominative singular
- am ranksten superlative
- ranke feminine nominative singular
- rankes neuter nominative singular
- ranken genitive masculine singular
- rankem dative masculine singular
- der ranke definite includes-article masculine
- die ranke definite feminine includes-article
- das ranke definite includes-article neuter
- die ranken definite includes-article nominative
- des ranken definite genitive includes-article
- der ranken definite feminine genitive
- dem ranken dative definite includes-article
- Ränke nominative plural
- Ranks genitive singular
- Rankes genitive singular
- Ranke dative singular
- Ränken dative plural
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to rank
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is rank in German?
rank appears 1.2 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).