lank
/ˈleɪ̯ŋk/adjective, verb, noun
lank is spelled L-A-N-K: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 98,107th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, lank means “Slender or thin; not well filled out; not plump; shrunken; lean” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in lank?
| Letters | 4: L-A-N-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | about once in every 11 million words; the 98,107th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is lank?
Lank appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 98,107th 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 lank?
- /ˈlæŋk/
- [ˈlæŋk]
- US /ˈleɪ̯ŋk/
Lank has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-lank.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with lank?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as lank from its last stressed vowel (/eɪŋk/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of lank
- lanker comparative
- lankest superlative
- lanks present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- lanking participle, present
- lanked participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does lank mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Slender or thin; not well filled out; not plump; shrunken; lean.
- 2
obsoleteMeagre, paltry, scant in quantity.
- 3
Straight and flat; thin and limp. (Often associated with being greasy.)
- 4
obsoleteLanguid; drooping, slack.
noun
- 1
A clump of lank hair.
verb
- 1
rareTo become lank.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Lank in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 lank come from?
From Middle English lank, from Old English hlanc, from Proto-West Germanic *hlank, from Proto-Germanic *hlankaz (“lank, thin”), from Proto-Indo-European *kleng- (“to bend, turn, wind, twist”); compare German lenken (“to turn”), Gelenk (“joint”), Old High German hlanca (“hip, side, flank”), and English link (of a chain).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).