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cranky

cran·kyUK /kɹænki/adjective

cranky is spelled C-R-A-N-K-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables (cran·ky). It appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,835th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, cranky means “Not in good working condition; defective, faulty” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in cranky?

Letters6: C-R-A-N-K-Y
Syllables2: cran·ky
In writing1.4 times per million words; the 23,835th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is cranky?

Cranky appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,835th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce cranky?

  • UK /kɹænki/
  • British /kɹaŋkɪj/
  • /kɾaŋke/

Cranky has 2 syllables, split cran·ky in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-cranky.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of cranky

  • crankier comparative
  • crankiest superlative

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does cranky mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    Not in good working condition; defective, faulty.

  2. 2

    Grouchy, grumpy, irritable; easily upset.

    He got home from a long day at work tired and cranky.

  3. 3

    Not in perfect mental working order; eccentric, peculiar.

  4. 4

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

    a cranky vessel

  5. 5

    archaicFull of spirit; spirited.

  6. 6

    obsoleteWeak, unwell.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Cranky in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Portuguesedisfuncional ((of a machine, etc.) Not in good working…), ranzinza, irritável (grouchy, irritable; easily upset), excêntrico (eccentric, peculiar)
Frenchgrincheux, chafouin (grouchy, irritable; easily upset)
Germangereizt, launisch (grouchy, irritable; easily upset), schrullig, verschroben, spleenig, eigenartig (eccentric, peculiar)
Spanishde mal genio, mañoso, moshudo, malhumorado, gruñón, de mal humor (grouchy, irritable; easily upset)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does cranky come from?

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

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

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