rancor
/ˈɹæ̞ŋkə/
"rancor" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“rancor” is an uncommon English word, ranked #52,580 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #52,580
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A feeling of long-lasting ire for another, sometimes to the point of hatred, over a perceived wrongdoing; bitterness.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | rancor |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɹæ̞ŋkə/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #52,580 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “rancor” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for rancor is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɹæ̞ŋkə/. Corpus data places it at rank #52,580 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No misspelling variants are generated for rancor in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in the 13th century as Middle English rancour, from Old French rancor, from Latin rancor (“rancidity, grudge, rancor”), from ranceō (“to be rotten or putrid”), from which also English rancid. The correct English form is rancor, spelled R-A-N-C-O-R.
Definition
- 1A feeling of long-lasting ire for another, sometimes to the point of hatred, over a perceived wrongdoing; bitterness.
- 2Rancidity, rankness.
Etymology
First attested in the 13th century as Middle English rancour, from Old French rancor, from Latin rancor (“rancidity, grudge, rancor”), from ranceō (“to be rotten or putrid”), from which also English rancid.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “rancor”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-A-N-C-O-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɹæ̞ŋkə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.