rancid
ran·cid/ˈɹænsɪd/adjective
rancid is spelled R-A-N-C-I-D: 6 letters and 2 syllables (ran·cid). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,998th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, rancid means “Rank in taste or smell” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in rancid?
| Letters | 6: R-A-N-C-I-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: ran·cid |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,998th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none 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 rancid?
Rancid appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,998th 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 rancid?
- /ˈɹænsɪd/
- /ˈɹeə̯nsɪd/
- /ˈɹɛə̯nsɪd/
Rancid has 2 syllables, split ran·cid in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-rancid.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of rancid
- more rancid comparative
- most rancid superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rancid mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Rank in taste or smell.
The house was deserted, with a rancid half-eaten meal still on the dinner table.
- 2
Offensive. Unpleasant.
Her remarks were rancid; everyone got up and left.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Rancid in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense being rank in taste or smell:
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 rancid come from?
Learned borrowing from Latin rancidus (“stinking, rank, rancid, offensive”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).