rancor
/ˈɹæ̞ŋkə/
"rancor" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“rancor” is uncommon English (frequency #52,580 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #52,580
- frequency rank, English
- 3,094
- “R” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A feeling of long-lasting ire for another, sometimes to the point of hatred, over a perceived wrongdoing; bitterness.
Corpus desk
Index EN-rancor · rancor · English
rancor · rank #52,580 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #52,580
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,094
- PHOTO-FINISH Pyrex
Nearest frequency peer: Pyrex (-3 rank slots)
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
Long-tail ranks near “rancor”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- pumice
pumice
47,427 corpus weight
- pupa
pupa
47,425 corpus weight
- Pyrex
Pyrex
47,424 corpus weight
- rancor
rancor
47,421 corpus weight
- Ratner
Ratner
47,418 corpus weight
- reactivation
reactivation
47,417 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “rancor” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| 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) |
Long-tail rank of “rancor” in English
Rare enough to double-check
rancor is uncommon English at frequency #52,580 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɹæ̞ŋkə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
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.
Recorded use
Wiktionary exampleThese source excerpts show how rancor appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
I could almost see the rancor in his eyes when he challenged me to a fight.
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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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "rancor", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).