Yankee

[ˈjɛŋki]

/[ˈjɛŋki]/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“Yankee” is uncommon German (frequency #53,393 among 67 “Y” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,393
frequency rank, German
67
“Y” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Staatsbürger der USA

Corpus desk

Index DE-yankee · Yankee · German

Yankee · rank #53,393 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #53,393
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 67
  • PHOTO-FINISH Zeitbombe

Nearest frequency peer: Zeitbombe (+1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “Yankee”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “Yankee” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Yankee
PropertyValue
HeadwordYankee
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈjɛŋki]
Letters6
Frequency rank#53,393
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Yankee” sits in German frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).Yankee lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Yankee is uncommon German at frequency #53,393 among 67 “Y” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈjɛŋki]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Staatsbürger der USA".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for Yankee, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is Yankee, spelled Y-A-N-K-E-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Staatsbürger der USA

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Yankee appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Revanche für Maduros "Yankees go home!" … Kelly Keiderling und weitere US-Diplomaten sollten Venezuela binnen 48 Stunden verlassen.
  2. Lyndon Johnson, mächtiger Senator aus Texas, wurde 1960 als "Running mate" John F. Kennedys zum Schlüssel des Sieges eines klassischen "Yankees".

Synonyms

AmiUS-Amerikaner

This word in other languages

Yankee(English)yanqui(Español)yankee(Français)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Yankee"?
"Yankee" is spelled Y-A-N-K-E-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈjɛŋki].
What does "Yankee" mean?
As a noun, "Yankee" means: Staatsbürger der USA
How do you pronounce "Yankee"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Yankee" is [ˈjɛŋki]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Yankee" come from?
"Yankee" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Yankee", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

wizard#53,386wettet#53,380Zyklon#53,414Waagen#53,363

What to do next

You've looked up "Yankee". Here's where to go from here.

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list