tanker
tan·ker/ˈtæŋkɚ/noun, verb
tanker is spelled T-A-N-K-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables (tan·ker). It appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, tanker means “A tankship, a vessel used to transport large quantities of fluid” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tanker is tankers.
How many letters and syllables are in tanker?
| Letters | 6: T-A-N-K-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: tan·ker |
| In writing | 2.8 times per million words; the 16,228th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is tanker?
Tanker appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th 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 tanker?
- UK /ˈtæŋkə/
- US /ˈtæŋkɚ/
- /ˈteɪ̯ŋkɚ/
Tanker has 2 syllables, split tan·ker in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-tanker.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with tanker?
6 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as tanker from its last stressed vowel (/æŋkəɹ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of tanker
- tankers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- tankering participle, present
- tankered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tanker mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A tankship, a vessel used to transport large quantities of fluid.
- 2
UKUSA motor truck (lorry) with a tank to hold bulk liquid (with or without internal baffles): a fuel tanker (lorry), petrol tanker, road tanker.
- 3
An aircraft carrying a large supply of jet fuel or avgas for aerial refueling of other aircraft, plus equipment allowing the in-air transfer of fuel.
Without the KC-46 tankers orbiting in friendly airspace, our fighters would've run out of fuel long before reaching the combat zone.
- 4
An aircraft built or modified to carry water and/or fire retardant for dropping on wildfires.
While our ground teams cut firebreaks in the brush, the tankers kept the fire in the mountains at bay with frequent drops of water and retardant.
- 5
A tank car (tank wagon).
- 6
Member of a tank crew, or of an armoured unit.
- 7
An airman who serves on the crew of an aerial refueling tanker aircraft.
- 8
slangA longboard.
I swung the tanker around just in time to take off with the lip.
verb
- 1
To transport (oil, etc.) in a tanker.
- 2
To carry more fuel than necessary for a flight, in order to avoid having to refuel at a destination where fuel is more expensive or in short supply.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tanker in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | navire-citerne, pétrolier, tanker , camion-citerne , tankiste |
| German | Tanker, Tankschiff , Tanklaster, Tanklastwagen , Panzersoldat |
| Portuguese | navio-tanque , camião-cisterna, caminhão-tanque , tanqueiro |
| Spanish | buque cisterna, camión cisterna, avión cisterna |
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 tanker come from?
From tank + -er.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).