# prank

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpɹæŋk/ · frequency rank #11,271

## Definitions
1. A practical joke or mischievous trick.
2. An evil deed; a malicious trick, an act of cruel deception.

## Etymology
Origin uncertain. Perhaps from Middle English pranken (“to adorn, arrange one's attire”), probably from Middle Dutch pronken, proncken (“to flaunt, make a show, arrange one's attire”), related to German prangen (“to make a show, be resplendent”), Dutch prangen (“to squeeze, press”), Danish pragt (“pomp, splendor”), all from Proto-Germanic *pranganą, *prangijaną, *prag- (“to press, squeeze, thring”), from Proto-Indo-European *brengʰ- (“to press, squeeze”). Or, perhaps ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *brahtaz, similar to Dutch pracht (“splendor”), Swedish prakt (“glory, pomp”) (loaned from Low German).
Cognate with Middle Low German prunken (“to flaunt”), German prunken (“to flaunt”), Danish prunke (“to make a show, prank”). Sense of "mischievous act" from earlier verbal sense of "to be crafty or subtle, set in order, adjust". See also prink, prance, prong.

## Easily confused with
- **pray** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prank-vs-pray)
- **punk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prank-vs-punk)
- **prat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prank-vs-prat)
- **print** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prank-vs-print)
- **prone** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prank-vs-prone)
- **prick** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prank-vs-prick)
- **PRATT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prank-vs-pratt)
- **prays** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prank-vs-prays)
- **prune** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prank-vs-prune)
- **prawn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prank-vs-prawn)
- **prong** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prank-vs-prong)
- **Pan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pan-vs-prank)
- **Pak** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pak-vs-prank)
- **PRA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pra-vs-prank)
- **plan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/plan-vs-prank)
- **park** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/park-vs-prank)
- **pack** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pack-vs-prank)
- **peak** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peak-vs-prank)
- **pink** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pink-vs-prank)
- **pans** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pans-vs-prank)

## Common misspellings (8)
`parnk`, `pprank`, `prakn`, `prankk`, `prannk`, `prnak`, `prrank`, `rpank`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/prank