spank

/ˈspæŋk/

//ˈspæŋk// verb

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

"spank" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“spank” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,258. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,258
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To beat, smack or slap a person's buttocks, with the bare hand or other object, as punishment, or for sexual gratification.

Corpus desk

Index EN-spank · spank · English

spank · rank #26,258 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,258
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Southwark

Nearest frequency peer: Southwark (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “spank”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “spank” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

spank vs spin
60% similar
spank vs stan
60% similar
spank vs swan
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for spank
PropertyValue
Headwordspank
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈspæŋk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#26,258
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “spank”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).spanklands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “Southwark” (#26,257), “sparking” (#26,259), “soliciting” (#26,256). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “spank” is #26,258. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around spank (IPA /ˈspæŋk/), averb. Corpus frequency is #26,258 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for spank, with forms such as "psank", "sapnk", and "spakn". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "spin", "stan", "swan", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Uncertain. Possibly imitative, or perhaps a special use of Etymology 2 (below) in the sense of a horse stamping its foot against the ground. There is no evidence of a relation with Portuguese espancar (“to batter, strike”). The correct English form is spank, spelled S-P-A-N-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    To beat, smack or slap a person's buttocks, with the bare hand or other object, as punishment, or for sexual gratification.
  2. 2
    To soundly defeat, to trounce.
  3. 3
    To hit very hard.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Spurs had a free-kick on the edge of the Liverpool box. Érik Lamela spanked it low into the wall, got the ball back, played it out to Christian Eriksen.

Etymology

Uncertain. Possibly imitative, or perhaps a special use of Etymology 2 (below) in the sense of a horse stamping its foot against the ground. There is no evidence of a relation with Portuguese espancar (“to batter, strike”).

Synonyms

slapsmackroutthrashtrouncesmackthumpwallop

This word in other languages

nalguear(Español)fesser(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • psank
  • sapnk
  • spakn
  • spankk
  • spannk
  • spnak
  • sppank
  • sspank

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of spank - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

psank2sapnk2spakn2spankk1spannk1spnak2sppank1sspank1
Edit distance from "spank"

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 "spank"?
"spank" is spelled S-P-A-N-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈspæŋk/.
What does "spank" mean?
As a verb, "spank" means: To beat, smack or slap a person's buttocks, with the bare hand or other object, as punishment, or for sexual gratification.
What words are commonly confused with "spank"?
"spank" is commonly confused with "spin", "stan", "swan". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "spank"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "spank" is /ˈspæŋk/. 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 "spank"?
Uncertain. Possibly imitative, or perhaps a special use of Etymology 2 (below) in the sense of a horse stamping its foot against the ground. There is no evidence of a relation with Portuguese espancar (“to batter, strike”). 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 "spank", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

snout#26,255slimy#26,252supra#26,272tunic#26,288

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

wearer8 variantswillful8 variantsoctave8 variantsoctane8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list