ransack

/ˈɹænsæk/

//ˈɹænsæk// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"ransack" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ransack” is uncommon English (frequency #87,733 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#87,733
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To search (a place, through things, etc.) thoroughly, especially when vigorous and leaving behind a state of disarray.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ransack · ransack · English

ransack · rank #87,733 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #87,733
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH raiment

Nearest frequency peer: raiment (-1 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 “ransack”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “ransack” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for ransack
PropertyValue
Headwordransack
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɹænsæk/
Letters7
Frequency rank#87,733
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ransack” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).ransackfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “raiment” (#87,732), “reauthorize” (#87,738), “quizlet” (#87,727). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “ransack” is #87,733. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ransack is uncommon English at frequency #87,733 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈɹænsæk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 9 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for ransack, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: The verb is derived from Middle English ransaken (“to examine, investigate; to rob, plunder, steal; to search, seek; to treat roughly, mistreat”), from Old Norse rannsaka (“to search a house (especially for stolen goods)”), from rann (“house”) (from Proto-G… The correct English form is ransack, spelled R-A-N-S-A-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    To search (a place, through things, etc.) thoroughly, especially when vigorous and leaving behind a state of disarray.
  2. 2
    To search (someone or a place) thoroughly in order to steal something, especially when vigorous and leaving behind a state of disarray; hence, to rob (someone or a place); to plunder.
  3. 3
    To search for and steal (something) as plunder.
  4. 4
    To examine (someone or something) carefully; to investigate; also, to question (someone) thoroughly; to interrogate.
  5. 5
    To look for or seek out (someone).
  6. 6
    To search (someone) for a thing.
  7. 7
    Synonym of penetrate (“to make way into the interior of (something); to pierce”); also, synonym of pervade (“to enter and spread through (something); to permeate”).
  8. 8
    To search thoroughly, especially when leaving behind a state of disarray.
  9. 9
    To search for and steal things.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how ransack appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. What a ſorowe hath it been to ſome of vs when the deuils hath in deſpightfull mockage, caſt in our teeth our olde loue borne to our money, and then ſhewed vs our executours as buſily ryfling ⁊ ranſaking our houſes as though they wer men of warre that had taken a towne by force.
  2. He hath ranſaked all the chyſtes I haue for his beades: […]

Etymology

The verb is derived from Middle English ransaken (“to examine, investigate; to rob, plunder, steal; to search, seek; to treat roughly, mistreat”), from Old Norse rannsaka (“to search a house (especially for stolen goods)”), from rann (“house”) (from Proto-Germanic *razną (“dwelling, house”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁- (“to rest; quiet”)) + saka, an ablaut variant of sœkja, sǿkja (“to look for, search, seek”) (from Proto-Germanic *sōkijaną (“to look for, seek”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂g- (“to follow; to seek out, trace”)). Verb verb sense 1.2 (“to search (someone, or a place) thoroughly in order to steal something”), verb sense 1.3 (“to search for and steal (something) as plunder”), and verb sense 2.2 (“to search for and steal things”) is probably influenced by sack (“to pillage, to plunder”). The noun is derived from the verb. cognates * Middle Low German rānsāken, rantsāken * Old Danish randsage, ransage (modern Danish ransage) * Old Swedish ransaka (modern Swedish rannsaka)

Synonyms

ramshackransackleranshackle

This word in other languages

escudriñar(Español)fouiller(Français)durchwühlen(Deutsch)

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

How do you spell "ransack"?
"ransack" is spelled R-A-N-S-A-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹænsæk/.
What does "ransack" mean?
As a verb, "ransack" means: To search (a place, through things, etc.) thoroughly, especially when vigorous and leaving behind a state of disarray.
How do you pronounce "ransack"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ransack" is /ˈɹænsæk/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "ransack"?
The verb is derived from Middle English ransaken (“to examine, investigate; to rob, plunder, steal; to search, seek; to treat roughly, mistreat”), from Old Norse rannsaka (“to search a house (especially for stolen goods)”), from rann (“house”) (fr... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "ransack", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

raiment#87,732quizlet#87,727Querrey#87,726redfish#87,744

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list