spanking
span·king/ˈspeɪ̯ŋkɪŋ/adjective, adverb, noun, verb
spanking is spelled S-P-A-N-K-I-N-G: 8 letters and 2 syllables (span·king). It appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,101st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, spanking means “Fast and energetic” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in spanking?
| Letters | 8: S-P-A-N-K-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: span·king |
| In writing | 1.9 times per million words; the 20,101st 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 spanking?
Spanking appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,101st 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 spanking?
- /ˈspæŋkɪŋ/
- [ˈspæŋkʰɪŋ]
- US /ˈspeɪ̯ŋkɪŋ/
Spanking has 2 syllables, split span·king in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-spanking.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of spanking
- spankings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does spanking mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Fast and energetic.
a spanking pace
- 2
Brisk and fresh.
a spanking breeze
adverb
- 1
colloquialAn intensifier.
brand spanking new
noun
- 1
A form of physical punishment in which a beating is applied to the buttocks.
Domestic spanking is often endured over the knee (or lap), formal spanking rather applied over a contraption such as a trestle or A-frame, with or without constraints.
- 2
An incident of such punishment, or such physical act in a non-punitive context, such as a birthday spanking.
verb
- 1
present participle of spank
- 2
present participle of spank
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Spanking in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense form of physical punishment:
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 spanking come from?
From spank (“to move energetically”) + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).