rampant
/ˈɹæm.pənt/adjective, adverb
rampant is spelled R-A-M-P-A-N-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 13,897th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, rampant means “Rearing on both hind legs with the forelegs extended” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in rampant?
| Letters | 7: R-A-M-P-A-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.5 times per million words; the 13,897th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 rampant?
Rampant appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 13,897th 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 rampant?
- /ˈɹæm.pənt/
Rampant has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-rampant.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with rampant?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as rampant.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: mantrap.
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 rampant
- more rampant comparative
- most rampant superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rampant mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Rearing on both hind legs with the forelegs extended.
The Vienna riding school displays splendid rampant movement.
- 2
Rearing up, especially on its hind leg(s), with a foreleg raised and in profile.
- 3
Tilted, said of an arch with one side higher than the other, or a vault whose two abutments are located on an inclined plane.
- 4
Unrestrained or unchecked, usually in a negative manner.
Weeds are rampant in any neglected garden.
- 5
Rife, or occurring widely, frequently or menacingly.
There was rampant corruption in the city.
adverb
- 1
informalnonstandardRampantly.
Things seem to be running rampant around here lately.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Rampant in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | sich aufbäumend , zügellos , ungezügelt |
| French | effréné , rampant |
| Portuguese | galopante, desenfreado |
| Spanish | desenfrenado, galopante, rampante, sin mesura , endémico, extendidísimo |
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 rampant come from?
From Middle English rampand, rampend, present participle of rampen (“to rise by climbing, shoot up, sprout, sty, ascend”), from Old French ramper (“to creep, climb”) (see below), equivalent to ramp + -and or ramp + -ant. Recorded since 1382, "standing on the hind legs" (as in heraldry), later, "fierce, ravenous" (1387). Compare Scots rampand (“rampant”). Alternatively from Middle English *rampant, from Old French rampant, the present participle of ramper (“to creep, climb”), equivalent to ramp + -ant.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).