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yank

/ˈjeɪ̯ŋk/noun, verb

yank is spelled Y-A-N-K: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, yank means “A sudden, vigorous pull (sometimes defined as mass times jerk, or rate of change of force)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of yank is yanks.

How many letters and syllables are in yank?

Letters4: Y-A-N-K
Syllables1
In writing1.0 times per million words; the 28,918th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone 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 yank?

Yank appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th 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 yank?

  • /ˈjæŋk/
  • [ˈjæŋk]
  • US /ˈjeɪ̯ŋk/

Yank has one syllable.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-yank.ogg, En-au-Yank.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with yank

Also written: shank.

Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

What rhymes with yank?

The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as yank from its last stressed vowel (/eɪŋk/):

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 yank

  • yanks plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • yanking participle, present
  • yanked participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does yank mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A sudden, vigorous pull (sometimes defined as mass times jerk, or rate of change of force).

    He unjammed the rope with a short yank.

  2. 2

    slangAn act of masturbation.

  3. 3

    slangAlternative form of shank (“stabbing weapon”).

  4. 4

    The rate of change in force with respect to time.

  5. 5

    derogatoryAlternative letter-case form of Yank (“Yankee”).

verb

  1. 1

    To pull (something) with a quick, strong action.

  2. 2

    informalTo remove; to recall or revoke.

    They yanked the product as soon as they learned it was unsafe.

  3. 3

    slangTo masturbate.

noun

as Yank
  1. 1

    USSomeone from the northern United States.

    Halt! come down there, you Yanks, come down!

  2. 2

    USOne from New England.

  3. 3

    USSomeone on the Union side.

  4. 4

    AustraliaCanadaIrelandUKderogatoryslangSomeone from the United States.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Yank in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchcoup sec (A sudden, vigorous pull), tirer d'un coup sec (to pull something with a quick, strong action), retirer (to remove from distribution), Yankee (native of the Northern USA – see also Yankee), ricain, ricaine (native of the USA – see also Yankee)
GermanRuck (A sudden, vigorous pull), mit einem kurzem Ruck reißen, mit einem kurzem Ruck ziehen, mit einem kurzem Ruck zerren (to pull something with a quick, strong action), aus dem Verkehr ziehen (to remove from distribution), Ami (native of the USA – see also Yankee)
Portuguesepuxão (A sudden, vigorous pull), ianque (native of the USA – see also Yankee)
Spanishtirón (A sudden, vigorous pull), tirar de, dar un tirón, tironear (to pull something with a quick, strong action), retirar (to remove from distribution), yanqui (native of the USA – see also Yankee)

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 yank come from?

Attested since 1822; from Scots yank. Unknown origin.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after yank