plank
/ˈplæŋk/noun, verb
plank is spelled P-L-A-N-K: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 2.9 times per million words in written English, the 15,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, plank means “A flat piece of wood on which to cook fish, so that the wood provides flavor and helps to produce a pleasing texture” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of plank is planks.
How many letters and syllables are in plank?
| Letters | 5: P-L-A-N-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 2.9 times per million words; the 15,798th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| 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 plank?
Plank appears 2.9 times per million words in written English, the 15,798th 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 plank?
- UK /ˈplæŋk/
- UK [ˈpʰlæŋk]
- British /ˈplaŋk/
Plank has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-plank.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with plank
Sounds like: Planck (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with plank?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as plank from its last stressed vowel (/æŋk/, British pronunciation):
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 plank
- planks plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- planking participle, present
- planked participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does plank mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A flat piece of wood on which to cook fish, so that the wood provides flavor and helps to produce a pleasing texture.
A dish called "plank salmon" likely includes a salmon filet cooked on a plank.
- 2
An object made of planks; planking.
- 3
A solid and substantial portion of an ingredient with a flat side, cooked and served whole.
That dish is served with a plank of cauliflower.
- 4
Physical exercise in which one holds a position (usually with a flat back, like a plank) for a measured length of time.
- 5
A political issue that is of concern to a faction or a party of the people and the political position that is taken on that issue.
Germanization was a central plank of German conservative thinking in the 19th and 20th centuries.
- 6
UKslangA stupid person, idiot.
- 7
That which supports or upholds.
verb
- 1
To cover something with planking.
to plank a floor or a ship
- 2
To bake (fish, etc.) on a piece of cedar lumber.
- 3
colloquialTo lay down, as on a plank or table; to stake or pay cash.
to plank money in a wager
- 4
To harden, as hat bodies, by felting.
- 5
To splice together the ends of slivers of wool, for subsequent drawing.
- 6
To pose for a photograph while lying rigid, face down, arms at side, in an unusual place.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Plank in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | planche , gainage |
| German | Planke , Schwerpunkt |
| Portuguese | tábua, prancha , ponto de contenção , entabuar, entabular |
| Spanish | tablón, madero , plancha , artículo , entablar |
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 plank come from?
From Middle English plank, planke, borrowed from Old French planke, Old Northern French planque (compare French planche, from Old French planche), from Vulgar Latin planca, from palanca, from Latin phalanga. The Latin term derives from the Ancient Greek φάλαγξ (phálanx), so it is thus a doublet of phalange and phalanx. Compare also the doublets planch, planche, and plancha, borrowed later from Middle French, Modern French, and Spanish, respectively.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).